The Post

As soon as the words left the girl's lips, Cry felt his servant tense under him. Jian was all ears now, his whole form straining as the mutt seemed to listen to sounds only he can hear. The Postman could almost see the wrinkles on the mutt's brows.

And without even one warning, Jian was on his feet, Cry stumbling along before him.

Satisfied with the vigilance the mutt was showing, the servant girl took one large breathe and opened the door by a crack. One glance told her that the hallway was still empty, her second glance was directed to the two men, mainly towards Cry.

"Follow me."

The Postman werely frowned at her and stood his ground only to be pushed forward by Jian's hand on his back. Cry huffed in disbelief and stumbled again to regain his footing before planting himself in firm refusal. The situation was confusing and illogical. He had no idea what it was that Jian was reacting to, no idea why this female servant was ordering them around like it was normal, no idea why he should follow other people's orders.

"Later, I explain to you."

The lips that delivered that cryptic sentence was Jian's, the mutt's voice low and murmuring, almost silent. It was oddly constructed, but it was a full sentence. A first for the mutt.

It was enough to jarr Cry out of his planted form of obstinence. Crossed arms fell away in surprise as the frown broke into a startled stare that fell on the mutt. Again, the servant girl whispered for them to hurry, again Jian pushed him forwards gently.

It annoyed the Postman to no end, being kept in the dark. It didn't help that the servant girl seemed to know everything about what's happening, the fact that Jian seemed to have an inkling did not make his mood any better. Though he bristled at the orders and the persistent man-handling, Cry still found himself creeping after the female as she led the way out.

Through a cleverly concealed door just across their room, up narrow steps to the rafters, the three stealthily crossed the wooden beams that supported the roof. They could hear voices beneath them, and the Postman realized that there was only a single layer of ply separating them from the bar and whatever danger it is that they were running from.

Cry opened his mouth to speak only to have a glare be thrown his way. The girl motioned for silence and beckoned them over the whole beam towards the other end of the roof. Seething, the Postman conceeded and finished the whole lenght in several lengthy strides, the mutt following behind him closely.

Through a small window, the trio found their exit. Over the roof and down the wall and behind the building, they traveled. And still it wasn't enough.

The female, now rid of her chains, Cry noticed belatedly, urged them towards the town borders. They ran past shouted queries, past the grimy houses and their equally grimy occupants, past the bonfires that never die, past the burned borders and back into Eden.

There the servant girl stopped and glanced towards the direction of the inn they had just left. Whatever she did or didn't see made her release the tense breathe she was holding, but not before the sound of the warning horn filled the air. Two short bursts, and one long blare that continued to echo even as it went silent.

Cry and Jian's attention snapped to the town and they could almost imagine whatever horror was happening at their departure.

The horns act as warning signals, each series coded for a specific danger. Continous short bursts for dangers from Eden, two bursts and a blare for bandits, repeated blares for natural disasters. And a signal unique only to Charter, blare-burst-blare, for the fires dying.

This time, two bursts and a blare signalled a bandit attack. Like clockwork, the weak will lock themselves inside the buildings while the strong will pick up whatever arms they have around. Defending the town from an invasion will be top priority.

"What is this?" Cry asked loudly as the horn resounded its alarm. They peered closely through the trees, dully noting the far-away figures concentrating in the middle of town.

"Bandit attack." was the servant girl's dull answer even as she figeted nervously. Cry glanced at her and realized that like any normal town person, the girl was getting affected by Eden. They hadn't been under it's wing for more than a couple of minutes and already the female was feeling the forest's effect.

"I thought Charter was formerly bandit den?"

"Oh, you knew of that? Well, we do control Charter, but this attack is unsanctioned and highly unconstitutional." the servant answered with a smirk even as she edged back towards the territory.

The Postman had to reevaluate the female, the way she was talking made her sound educated, and the small male wondered if the servant really was a servant.

"Who are you?"

Another smirk and the female was outside of Eden.

"Let's just say your organization has some well-placed tentacles all over Eden. We caught wind of the attack just as soon as you arrived. Go back to the Post, Postman and report to your master."

Cry sighed in exasperation and glanced back at the town once more. Several figures were circling the fire borders, and as he watched a wall of fire started to grow between each pit.

The not-servant girl saw it as well and was obviously excited to get back before she was shut out herself. Throwing one last warning at the Postman and his mutt, the female was off, slight figure sprinting through the last break on the wall before disappearing.

The Postman could only watch as the flames seemed to rise higher and swallow the whole town, he could feel the heat from this far, and he wondered how the people inside will fare. The sacrifices people made and are still making for this ugly piece of scarred land... he'll never understand it.

"They're after your key... Hm? What key?" the servant's last warning lingered in the air as Cry turned his back from the burning town. Jian merely made a non-committal sound that grated on the Postman's temper.

"You. You can talk properly." He didn't mean to sound accusatory, was merely stating a fact, but one cannot avoid feeling tricked and let down by the recent discovery. And though he knew his slave couldn't see it, Cry's glance was loaded with disappointment and suspicions.

The mutt hesitated and opened his mouth, as though he wanted to say something. After a few seconds of silence he whined and set his lips in a frown. The way he wrung his hands belayed his frustrations as he tried to say whatever it was he had in mind. Waiting was all the Postman could do, though he preferred doing it while moving.

Just as he started to walk again, uncertain words left the mutt's mouth.

"Talk... we, I do. Yes? But words, not sure what, how? Which! Not sure which word to use."

"Are you saying that forgot how to say things?" Cry asked with a frown as he continued walking. A calloused hand immediately clutched his sleeves as Jian followed after him.

Each word that left the mutt's lips were weighed and sorted, as though the slave had to think how to convey his thought clearly. He'd sometimes mention several words that didn't mean anything and would leave it to the Postman to muddle through his meaning.

"Long time no talk...ing? Tongue, tongue hurt to talk." Jian added, the frown on his brows clearing when Cry took his hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

"Your tongue hurts when you talk? Is it because of the split?" This confused him, the tongue looked long-healed and the mutt had no qualms using it for eating... and more. Though that didn't seem to be what the mutt was trying to say since he tried to explain himself again, obviously struggling with the correct words to use.

"Umm, long ago. Talk normal then, then hurts by others. Says Jian no more talk." the mutt added.

"Others?"

"Yes. People wants Jian blind and mute. Makes- made Jian hurts... says slave is silent. Silent slave is good slave, no hurts after."

The Postman understood it then. Slavers.

It was correct to say that Jian had been genetically fixed from the start, but the man had not gone feral and had not been broken like the rest. Sad to say, he was still turned to a slave, and in order to pass Jian off as a legal broken slave, the slavers had coerced and mutilated the boy into obedience. It was nothing unusual, many had found themselves traded into slavery through these methods, but the Postman could not reign his temper in.

His grip tightened on the warm hand as Cry mentally cursed people such as slavers. If he could, he'd want to inflict the same pain Jian had suffered on them. Gouge their eyes out with a spoon, pour boiling metal in the empty sockets. He'll take their voices, he won't stop at just slitting the tip of the tongue, slicing the whole thing off would make him happier.

Cry glanced at the mutt- no Jian was as people as he is; glanced at the man behind him and pulled him closer, arms wrapping about the taller boy's neck.

A teasing lick at the corner of Jian's mouth and access was granted to him. The other was obviously confused with the turn of events, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't happy about it.

Breaking the kiss, Cry gazed stubbornly at Jian's slightly open mouth and claimed it once again.

"You have my permission to use that tongue and mouth of yours as you wish. Speaking and everything else you can think of." he murmured softly.

A grin brightened the taller man's face as he wrapped strong arms around the Postman's thin waist, bringing their hips to a more intimate press.


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Now that was all good and done, the thing about Jian's speech. Something else pressed on the Postman's mind. Mainly the fact that he was hooked on the pleasures he got from touching the slave. That kiss from earlier was meant to be an assurance, it certainly did not stand as an invitation to a torrid make-out session that delayed their escape by nearly 15 minutes. It was that difficult to tear himself away from Jian's searching tongue and insistent touch.

Cry should have more control over himself, had prided himself to be immovable and cold. Intimate companionship, namely fucking and making-out never did interest him. Jian was a special case, there were many a times when the Postman would find himself imagining different scenarios with the slave. Some of them innocent, some not so. He wondered if it was a case of being repressed but he had released so many times under the slave's touch that it didn't quite fit. If he was lusting after Jian, then so be it, but he at least hoped that his dick would take note of TPO.

As though reacting to his thoughts, and as though its goal was to act contrary to Cry's wishes; the Postman's cock twitched. Or perhaps it was because Jian held him securely at the waist when they leapt off a small cliff in their run.

The Postman cursed.


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At the sound leaving his master's lips, a lowly mumbled word he thought was a dirty word; Jian directed his attention to Cry.

They were running through Eden, barely escaping various traps and creatures in their flight. Time was of the essence now, especially since for some reason, people were after them. They were slow though, Jian could barely hear them now for their distance.

But they had been close earlier, and the slave had heard snatches of their conversation.

Without relaying his discoveries to the Postman, Jian had urged him into a run, desperate to put enough distance between themselves and their pursuers. He knew he was forcing the Postman to match his pace, and was thankful that Cry was no normal human.

The slave let the younger male lead, the invisible path they're taking was almost instinctual. Jian led them around the dangers but Cry made them follow a general direction, mainly East.

They travelled non-stop, resting once for 5 minutes to rehydrate themselves from a small spring. They didn't linger and was soon on their feet, travelling East once again.

The Postman found himself lacking in stamina and was soon feeling the effects of the exertion just after sunset. Since they left the Wraith's house, they had been constantly on their feet, running from unknown dangers. The stop-over at Charter had been just that, a stop-over. A near hour's worth rest was all they had that day, and the most of that hour had been spent in less restful activities. They hadn't had a solid bite since breakfast.

His steps slowed and he found that the act of taking air into his lungs was turning into torture. The Postman envied the slave's dog genes, it made him last-longer, made him faster and lessened the effects of physical exertion on his body.

"Less rest here."

Cry blinked at the announcement and glared at Jian, who was standing by a large tree.

"I'm not tired yet." the Postman grumbled and took several steps forward to show his resolve. It was just a few steps but he silently sighed in relief when his knees didn't shake and he didn't collapse in a heap.

The slave merely kept quiet and bent down to gather Cry into his arms. His grip was tight despite the smaller male's struggles.

"Is night. Do not cross when light is red?" the slave's voice was questioning and even Cry had to think before he realized what the slave was trying to say.

He chuckled despite himself and relaxed in the slave's arms in surrender.

"No travelling at night?" the Postman repeated. The slave merely nodded and bent down to peck at the boy's forehead much to his surprise. And without another word, the slave clutched the Postman closer and climbed the tree in leaps and bounds. He caught the branches with one hand and proppelled himself higher until they reached a fairly wide branch.

It was large enough that they could sit side by side without the fear of falling off, but the slave settled Cry between his legs as he leaned against the trunk.

One arm snaked itself around the Postman's waist and secured him to the taller man's chest while the other rested loosely on Cry's thigh. Relaxing into each other, the Postman found himself unconsciously turning sideways to bury his face against Jian's neck. He was accomodated and soon felt both arms holding him closely. The warmth and the security Jian gave him willingly soon lulled him to sleep, and for once the Postman was glad he had the slave with him.


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"Cry. Wake up Cry."

Roused from deep sleep, Cry immediately opened his mouth to protest only to have a palm be pressed firmly against his lips. He looked at Jian in confusion, curious as to why the slave was awake and alert in the middle of the night.

Jian seemed to be concentrating, hunched forward as he strained to listen to things only he can hear. He released the Postman and made shushing noises as he crept forward on the branch.

For a few minutes, they stayed as they were. Cry in confusion and Jian in vigil. Then suddenly, the Postman realized he could hear a voice. Or voices, to be apt.

Peering through the tree boughs down to the forest floor, Cry could see flickering lights and shadowed figures making their way through the foilage. He couldn't hear what the intruders were talking about in that distance but Jian could, and he made awkward repetitions in a hurried whisper.

"They be dead. Why'd we hafta go after them?"

"Shut it Mrah. Pray to God that they haven't been eaten yet or you'll be the one going after the beast that ate them."

"Whatisit with those guys nyway? A kid and a mutt? If the leader wants li'l boys or doggies to fuck, I'd get im one from any market he wants."

"It's not them the leader wants. Anyway, it's too difficult for you to understand so just shut up. We're attracting too much attention as it is."

"You two, keep it down."

Cry's frown deepened in confusion at the exchange. Judging from the conversation, these people were after him and Jian. They were desperate enough to go look for them in Eden at night and were most likely bandits or bounty hunters. They also seemed to be operating under another person's orders, another person who wanted something from either Cry or Jian.

The group of men, 5 or 6 of them, quickly left. Cry could still hear them rustling their way through the bushes and Jian could still hear their conversation though nothing seemed too important for the slave to repeat.

"Cry?" Jian's voice was loaded with questions. And Cry had no answer to any of them.

"For now, I guess we'll just have to make it home."


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Another short chapter before I finally get to the last few chapters for either stories. Unfortunately, updates last weekend were placed on hold due to a damn cold that had me coughing my lungs out.

And since it's Christmas, I'm thinking of making a deathfic! It's the time of the year when one feels the loneliest, so shoot me.