Sweating, Desiare sat up and looked around. Her attempts to break the cage had gone slowly so far, but she felt the progress as one of the bars moved loosely with her hand. She debated if it would be enough space to squeeze out of, focusing on her task at hand, with constant furitive glances to make sure she wasn't being watched.
The task took her mind somewhat off the pain in her back, the marks from the whip deep, and pale white in contrast to her sun reddened skin. In the distance, she heard the sound of a storm, wishing momentarily that it would come and bring a cool breeze or the sweet coolness of rain to ease her wounds. Licking her parched lips, she pushed strands of her hair back, the color darkened by days of dust and debris, and tangled down her back.
Hearing footsteps approach, she turned and pretended to be stretching, staring up at the men that approached. They stopped at the pen, looking down on her with sneers of amusement.. One of them barked an order to the other man to open the door. Reaching down, he grabbed her by the arm, dragging her from the cage. Forcibly lifting her to her feet, he reached out with his other hand to backslap her before turning to drag her to the captain's tent.
Her feet rubbed against the hard ground, as she struggled to keep up with the man's long legs. Stopping in front of the captain, he shoved her away from him and towards the tent. She stumbled, letting loose a curse, as she fell to her knees in front of the man ungracefully. Looking up at him, she stared into his eyes defiantly, even as he looked down upon her with a mixture of amusement and greed. "A nice position for you, little girl, one I expect I shall see you in often as you serve me." he said, while the men watching laughed derisively..
Des turned crimson, as she felt the humiliation from his words. Jerking her head back, she turned away, only to find her neck grabbed and her dragged off the ground onto her feet again. "I see you have still not learned your place girl." he growled, turning her to face the post, as his men made quick work of securing her to it. "It is time, I think, for your next lesson."
Once again, he commanded her to speak her name, but Desiare drew on every ounce of strength she possessed, defying him, even as the whip lashed across her back. True to his word, the lashes came faster, heavier, and soon Des' back was covered in fresh marks, blood trickling down her skin as each snap brought new misery. Blacking out from the pain, she barely felt when she was unbound from the post, her body slumping to the ground as it shook uncontrollably.
