Nash had jabbed that weird squarish object into Talen’s side about three more times after they left the Head Cruel's office. The first two times were only because Talen had been difficult while he and four other Cruels pinned Talen down and tied a thick chain around his arms, binding the limbs in front of him. The third time seemed to be purely out of spite, something for his own amusement.  

It was as if he knew the object was new to Talen, and that Talen hated it just as much as he hated everything else.  

After Talen was restrained, Nash led him out towards the gates. A mixture of excitement and wariness rose within Talen. For the first time in his life, that he could remember, he was going to see the outside world. However, Talen had no idea what exactly the outside world had in store for him. This encampment was all he'd known for years.

His excitement dwindled down to nothing, though, when the large metal gates rattled open to let Nash and him through. Talen didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't exactly the sight he was met with.  

The outside world was nothing special. It was just as plain and barren as everything else Talen was used to. There were only miles and miles of flat terrain, grassy fields that stretched as far as he could see. It probably would've been a prettier sight if the grass was green, and not brown and dried of life.

Stupid to get my hopes up. There's never anything good in this world.

Talen held in a disappointed sigh as Nash led him out towards a car that waited not far from the gates. Nash opened the trunk and yanked the end of the chain attached to Talen's wrists, causing him to stagger forward.

Talen growled at him, baring his teeth in warning. His arms may have been bound, but his teeth were still in perfect use, free to clamp down on anything. Nash merely glared back, and Talen noticed how his hand tightened around the strange squarish object.

Reluctantly, Talen lowered the volume of his growling, but still kept a low rumble in the back of his throat. Nash noticed, of course, and smirked. This infuriated Talen to no end, and he glared so harshly at him that he saw a couple black dots form on the edges of his vision.

“In you go, mutt," Nash spat, yanking the chain again towards the open trunk. Talen bared his teeth again, but one glance at the object in Nash’s hand made him keep his growls to a minimum. He desperately wanted to spit at Nash, at least, but he knew the Cruel would use that object on him again with no mercy.

So, grumbling under his breath, Talen lifted his legs and knelt down into the small trunk. The car wasn't all that big, so neither was the trunk. As Talen crouched onto his knees, Nash suddenly grinned, tossed the chain into the trunk, and then proceeded to slam the door of the trunk down. Right on Talen's still-aching head.

Talen let out a furious snarl, the impact of the door on the top of his head causing it to slam down on the car floor. His head started up its painful pounding again, and he groaned.

Nash laughed in a sadistically pleased manner as he walked around to the front of the car and slid into the front seat. Talen continued to growl, blinking against the darkness of the compartment as the engine revved to life.

Talen huddled into a corner of the trunk as Nash began driving away from the only place Talen knew. He could feel the car begin to accelerate and make reckless maneuvers, and his heart beat fast with a terrible feeling. Talen was leaving the camp, and he had no idea where he was going. He had no idea who this new Cruel was or how horrible he would be. He had no idea what that Cruel was going to do to him. He hated to admit it, but he was afraid.

~~~

After what felt like hours of annoyingly loud music and sliding around the trunk of the car, the car finally came to a stop. The brakes squealed as the vehicle halted, and both the engine and the loud music shut off. A few seconds later, the driver's door opened and closed, and Talen braced himself as he heard footsteps come around the side of the car to the trunk.

The trunk swung open, revealing Nash’s scowling face. Talen immediately noticed the outside world behind Nash, spotting lush green leaves on tall widespread trees, as well as a darkened but clear night sky.

“Come on, you filthy mutt. Your training awaits,” Nash sneered. Talen peeled his lips back to reveal his sharpened fangs, but Nash just rolled his eyes in response. He reached inside the trunk and took hold of the chain’s loose end. Clearly Nash still had not learned, because Talen used that beautiful opening to snap at Nash’s wrist, sinking his teeth into it. Nash yelled in pained anger and attempted to rip his arm out of Talen’s mouth, but Talen had a tight grip, and he ended up yanking Talen out of the trunk. Talen stumbled onto asphalt, but he still held on. Nash didn’t waste a second in taking the squarish object out of his pocket and jabbing it into Talen’s stomach. Talen yelped, releasing Nash’s wrist, and convulsed on the ground as pain surged through his gut.

The pain lasted for a few moments, and nausea quickly followed suit. Nash took advantage of Talen’s temporarily immobile state and grabbed a fistful of Talen’s hair, using it to drag Talen up to his feet. Talen growled as best he could through his discomfort, but Nash was beyond caring.

“I hope your new master gets sick of you and leaves you on the side of the road to rot. He’d be doing the world a favor,” Nash spat, glaring all his hatred at Talen. Talen snarled as he returned the look with far more loathing; he had many years’ worth of hatred to overshadow Nash’s.

Nash released Talen’s hair and grabbed the loose end of the chain. He shoved the squarish pain-causing object in Talen’s face as a warning, and began walking up to the house he had parked in front of.

Talen followed only because he didn’t want to get electrocuted again. He burned holes into Nash’s head the entire time it took them to reach the front door. But even as he glared, he took in his surroundings through his peripheral. He noticed healthy green grass beneath his bare calloused feet. He smelled fresh water nearby, although he couldn’t tell how close it was. The house ahead of him was two stories tall and looked very clean, with a tidy garden lining the outside perimeter. Talen didn’t let that fool him, though. This Cruel was still a Cruel, no matter how neat.

Talen tested the chain's strength by straining against them. They didn’t budge, and it only made his fingers begin to tingle. If he had to defend himself, it would have to be with teeth and feet only.

Nash rose a fist to knock on the front door, but it swung open before his knuckles made contact with the wood. Talen secretly delighted in the startled expression that took over Nash’s face, even if he managed to mask it a moment later. 

Talen turned his heated glare to the Cruel in the doorway. The first thing he noted was how tall he was, a full head taller than Talen. His physique was lean but toned, healthy, and his skin was strikingly pale. Talen was so used to tanned and sunburnt skin that seeing such paleness almost shocked him. His hair was a deep dark brown, and his eyes were an intriguingly dark gold. Talen had never seen golden eyes before. They were full of calculating intelligence, something he also wasn’t used to seeing. 

This is Master Rune.

Nervousness shifted in Talen’s gut as the Cruel stared at him for a long moment. Nash only put up with Rune’s silence for a few seconds and loudly cleared his throat. He thrusted the chain out towards Rune for him to take.

Rune turned an annoyed look on Nash and calmly took the chain. Talen noted the way Rune held it loosely in his hand. 

“He’s your problem now. I need to get back,” Nash said. Rune’s eyes narrowed in displeasure at Nash’s rudeness, and Talen forced down a smirk at the way Nash grew nervous at the look. This would be the perfect opportunity to exact one last bit of revenge. His chains weren’t held in a tight grip and Nash had his guard down.

Just as Nash turned to leave, Talen launched forward and bit into the Cruel’s shoulder. He relished in the pained scream that followed, but he couldn’t bask in Nash’s pain for long before he was forcibly yanked away and shoved into the house behind Rune. Talen instinctually snapped at the hand that touched him, but he was stunned into disarmament when he heard the chains hit the hardwood floor. Rune had completely let go of them. 

What the hell?

Talen took this chance to back a safe distance away, crouching down onto all fours should he need to lunge again. He watched with disbelief as Rune stepped between him and Nash and grabbed Nash’s raised arm, stopping him from attacking Talen with the squarish object again.

“As you said, he’s mine now. I will deal with him,” Rune said. His tone was dark and unyielding, surpassing even Devian’s most sinister tone, and Talen backed away even more. 

“Little fucker. Whatever. Have fun getting your ass beat, mutt!” Nash yelled over Rune’s shoulder. Talen snarled, but Nash was already leaving. Rune stayed in the doorway until Nash made it to his car, and waited longer still as Nash drove away.

Talen growled low in his throat, bunching his muscles in preparation. Rune turned to face Talen and closed the door behind him. It was just him and Rune now. The walls felt like they were closing in on Talen, trapping him.

“Hello, Talen,” Rune greeted.