Paradise lost, Paradise found

Just to be forwarned, the next chapter is cruel, torture, mutilation and because of the age, child abuse..and all that because of  some fruits.

 

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His whistling and playfull attitude made him the mascot, next to beeing the research object of the scholar who seemed to be enthusiastic with his lizard warming up to the crew and beeing quite the good learner.

They also had found a name for the lizard, Chit, which fit both the chit-tering noises it made and the smaller, slender built compared to the argonians whom they had encountered before.



After Chit realised that with his antics he could earn the others favour and got more open, less scared, he also was able to run mostly free.

He was often seen running along the ships rail, or climbing the riggins,sometimes for the purpose to help the crew with small tasks, mostly just for his own and their amusement.

For a long time there was only water, sometimes on the horizon a small glimpse of land was seen, but mostly water overall.

His heart ached and he knew that most likely he wouldn´t see the trees again, at least not for now.

He was small and weak and it was not safe. It seemed much safer to stay with the strange people until he was bigger and stronger, listening to them when they spoke.



Some words he already understood, or that they called him with Chit.It sounded similiar to the sounds he produced and it was odly comforting to have such a name and not something strange in their language.

The nice light one had a difficult name, both smooth and gruff, growling. But he mastered the name after some days.

Yok, the very dark skinned ones name was much simpler.





"Yook"he squeaked as the man took a break from his work, scaring him even..and this in turn scared the lizard, him jumping up in the riggins and hanging there upside down.

"It spoke, the damn thing spoke" pointing up where the lizard hung, cocking his head from side to side questionly

"Drinking again?" drawled the unfriendly mage who seemed to patrol the ship together with some colleagues everyday, always.

"Effeffooo" which made the mages whip around, starring angrily up there, from where the voice had come, the lizard hissing at the light, big one who had hurt him.

"Little pest, stop butchering my name or I butcher you" there seemed barely something more insulting for the mer than some animal maring his name, swinging his staff threatingly and firing a spell at the hissing lizard in the next second.



Luckily for the little chit, except for the cuffs still around ankle and wrists and the muzzle over his snout, he was mostly free and could evade the spell.

Darting through the network of ropes he fleed from the mage, starting to screech as he felt the electricity of the spells sizzling past him.



The ship was quite big but it didn´t take him long to reach the place where Auratan had his workstation for the studies he did for his employer. A surprised shout came from him as the lizard dropped out of the ropework, landing at his feet, making him drop his instrument as he was ripped out of his measurings and onto all that, the pale electric blue of a spell hit the wall of the captains cabin only some metres far from where he stood.







Captain Ondel came out of his cabin as the lizard hid behind the robes of the scholar, stoping further hurtling of spells.

In the end that meant again the use of a leash for the lizard, but also lashes for the mage.

One couldn´t say that the captain didn´t have a firm hand.

It didn´t matter that the mage was also an Aldmer, he had endangered the ship and the crew and didn´t have a hold on his temper, which Ondel detested.





The next few days were spent leashed near the Scholar who had ordered the young darker skinned non-mer to spent his time with the animal and trying to train it.

Auratan had an eye on the two, checking sometimes on them to see how his research object fared.

The hope that the animal would survive further, grew with every day.When they would reach their destination and the lizard was in good health..oh the possiblities, he really should write down what went through his mind.

One thing was sure, he had to test if he could harvest scales or other parts that wouldn´t be missed and test them for their possible use in potions.Without damaging the animal, at least not too much.



Maybe he would keep it at pet..mostly, he was fond of it an with his bretheren who were of a more stony, unflexible mind, he would need something to cheer him up.

A smile stretched his lips as he thought how he could set the little thing loose and wreak a bit of distraction from the everyday routine.





"Appwel...fease" diverted his thoughts, watching the lizard interact with he ship boy, beeing feed pieces of fruit which seemed to work fabolous for teaching it to speak.

For now he wasn´t too sure that it really understood what the words meant and just repeated what it was told.

But if the lizard survived some weeks or even months, than that could be made more clear.

It made big steps in his opinion, already trying to pronounce different names and using it for the correct people...and begging for food.



Maybe he should try to make it wear clothing, in the city it would surely be unnerving for some to see such a..people-like animal naked.





___________________________________________few days later_______________________________



The next day they would reach the shore and travel with horses and carriages, the climate on the ship turned more hectic, colder, short tempered and it didn´t sit well with Chit.

He was leashed short and bored which was not a good combination for a youngling.

No one really had an eye on him and so he probed the chain that held him back. Soon he had found a weak point where he could ease two rings from each other, making the harness slack so he could wriggle out of it.



Boredom turned into boisterous behaviour, first raiding the bowl of fruits in the cabin, food he craved instead of the stinky fish, putting some in the crook of his arm as he hobbled out of the cabin and on deck where he went unnoticed at first because everyone was used to the presence of the lizard..and busy.



But as he sat in the rigging, his foe walked by.

It was pure luck that the half eaten apple hit its target, unfortunally that was also the end of luck for Chit as the mage had a much better aim enraged after he had to take chastisement the last time.



Sure in his knowledge that he had only to flee to his protector, he was hit by the spell, party paralysed and landing with a dull thud on deck, trying to hobble and drag himself away.

Even with the scholar near, Chit was out of luck for now.

A boot in his neck held him down and the screeching he started was stopped with a pittyless whack on the head and the ranting of the mage.



Unfortunally for Chit, now he really had started an attack on a mer, no matter that it was..laughable.

Now the Aldmer could seek retribution from the scholar because law was firm.

While Auratan was chided by Ondel for his lack of care with a wild beast which the lizard still was, the captain holding the mage back for now.





No one except the mage, and maybe not even he, seemed to think that the lizard was dangerous, but law was on his side.

It filled him with glee that he could keep the beast down that whimpered again..phatetic.

How he hoped it would move and he could hit it again, but it lay still and looked at the stupid, beastloving scholar.

Just as phatetic as the beast, couldn´t hold it magicwise against him but good standing put the weakling over him.





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He knew he shouldn´t have done it..it was so stupid. It overcame him and in the spur of the moment he threw the apple ..and now the big light one didn´t even look at him. He didn´t dare move because he didn´t want another hit with the staff...and the boot in his neck frightened him even more. Efo weighted down on him more and more and just as he thought he needed to bite the bad one, Auran bellowed...had the scholar known what he thought?

But the pressure on his throat vanished and he chirped, trying to whiz behind his protector.

It was a bad shock that those one did nothing, only looked down at him before he talked with the captain as the mage threw one of his invisible bindings over him, draggin him into the ship while the captain and Auran followed.









The mage seemed so happy with the prospect to have the lizard at his mercy that he didn´t even care when it whimpered again, trying to get away and claws scratched over the floorboard as it was dragged along.

They reached the cargo hold, there where also the cages for the dogs were..and just like a bad behaving dog the lizard would be treated.

The hounds seemed to know what went on and were deadly silent, just staring at the scene, sitting at the far away end of their kennels.









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And yes, the lizard is mangling the names of the people until he has learned to speak properly.

 

Don´t read the next chapter if you can not stomach child abuse, mutilation and the like...