Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was cold and dark. It was also silent, other than the sound of Joel’s anxious growling that he couldn’t bring himself to stop. It was the end of a very long, very chaotic day – and that was chaotic meant in a bad way. A very bad way.

From the second he woke until now Joel hadn’t had a second to breathe and try and figure out what the hell was happening. And now that there was no one grabbing at him, nothing to fight back at with claws or teeth, the fear set in. He could smell the waves of terror rolling off of him, and he whined, flattening his ears tight back to his head.

The hunters had come before the sun had even finished rising. Joel had been huddled behind a sweet berry bush at the edge of the highstreets of the main hub. As soon as he realised that the hands manhandling him were not the roughhousing of long lost packmates, he was snarling and thrashing. He didn’t even have time to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Joel hit the bars of the cage angrily. Why did he have to test his luck. He could have settled down for the night somewhere else, anywhere else. Everyone knew that the world hub was a dangerous place for a hybrid to go alone. Let alone at night. Let alone to fall asleep.

The canvas was harshly yanked from over the cage. Joel hissed, covering his hands with his face to try and shield his eyes from the sudden bright light.

“This one we picked up this morning.” A gentle feminine voice said.

Joel growled at her, muscles tensing as she rattled the bars to try and get his attention.

“He’s untamed?” A male voice asked.

“Yes,” came the reply, “Is that something you’re looking for?”

Joel growled again.

“He really is wild, huh.” The man commented, “I’ll take him.”

Joel couldn’t hold in the yelp of surprise when his cage was yanked forward, causing him to lose his balance and tip against the cold metal.

The brush of a hand across his cheekbone had him snapping out, enjoying the satisfying shout of whoever the finger he just bit belonged to.

Seconds later however, he found that it really was not worth it. He heard the crackle of electricity before he felt the searing pain across his skin. The pain stopped and he lay there panting.

 When he squinted his eyes open, he saw the two humans staring back at him. The hunter held a strange looking cattle prod in her hand, and the man held a handkerchief to his finger, a red patch slowly growing on the fabric. Joel grimaced.

The canvas was back over the cage and in a blink it was dark again. Joel whimpered, feeling sorry for himself as the cage was jostled and pulled around, eventually steading into a rhythmic sway of a carriage.

He spent the whole journey wondering what the fuck he had managed to get himself in to.

When he awoke, it was slow and painful. His head throbbed in time with his heartbeat. The pain only increased as his heartbeat rapidly sped up.

The cage was gone, replaced with chains at his wrists, and a heavy weight at his neck. Hesitantly, he ran his fingers over the metal band encircling his throat. There were ridges of carvings etched across the face of the metal, which was deathly cold under his fingertips.

The breath that he let out was uneven and clipped off shortly by a sob and a painful hitch in his chest.

The door slamming open had him scrambling across the dirty floor until his back hit a wall and his chains wouldn’t let him any further. It didn’t really do much, putting no more than a few feet extra between him and the figure in the doorway.

A low, threatening growl tumbled from his lips and he crouched down in a stance that might have been threatening if he were not restrained by chains. Chains that were probably fastened by the very man he was growling at.

“Quiet now, mutt.”

Joel growled again, but it was cut off by a yelp as pain blossomed within him from seemingly nowhere.

The man just chuckled. Joel looked up at him, eyes wide and afraid. It seems that this situation was even worse that he had imagined it might be. He wasn’t even sure what was happening. It would be easier if he were threatened with whips or fists. At least he could see them coming.

“What-“ Another flare of pain cut him off and he choked out a breath.

“I would suggest you do as you’re told.” The man said, causally leaning against the doorframe.

Joel glowered.

“It’s called an obedience curse,” The man continued, seemingly unaffected by the daggers Joel was glaring at him, “ever heard of it?”

Joel hadn’t, but he also wasn’t a complete idiot and was pretty sure he knew what an obedience curse did. His stomach sank with dread as the words sunk in.

“I-“ Joel huffed in frustration as the pain strangled his words once again.

“You shall call me Master.” The man said. Joel stared at him with pure hatred. He’d rather never talk again than call this man fucking Master.

“Get up,” The man barked.

Joel staggered to his feet as his legs began to burn with the command. His teeth were tightly clenched, and hands balled into fists at his side so tight that his sharp nails were cutting into the palms of his hands.

The man turned on his heel and left, the door slamming closed behind him. Joel flinched as the loud noise echoed around the room and then it was just him once more.

He was standing awkwardly in the dark by himself. His pulse thundered loudly against the metal of the band around his neck. Fear buzzed through him like electricity.

It felt like he was suddenly itching inside of his own skin. He knew it was stupid, but he felt betrayed by his own body. Could he move? Could he sit? Joel didn’t know what he could do without triggering the enchantment that was somehow placed upon him.

How long did an order last for? How did the curse quantify a subjective order? Would he now have to live his whole life guessing what counted as breaking some stupid egotistical human’s fetish-y rules.

Defiance flooded his veins at that particular thought. Hastily, before he rethought it, Joel sat heavily, muscles tense and waiting for the tendrils of pain to wrap over him. Nothing happened. Joel sank back heavily against the wall and let himself cry.

~~~ 

He was next awoken by the door swinging open once more. Joel shot up to his feet before he could give the man the satisfaction of making him. The smirk and twinkle in his Master’s eyes didn’t make it feel like much of a victory.

“Don’t attack me.” Order one, Joel was beginning to imagine he could feel each command etching into his very soul.

“That’s no biting, scratching, nothing. Nothing that will bring harm to me.”

Joel growled low in the back of his throat in frustration.

“No running away, no fantasies of escaping.” Order two. Joel felt drained of the meagre hope he had managed to cling onto.

“And no words. No speaking.” Order three. Joel growled again, now feeling robbed of his humanity.

~~~ 

The next morning it was not the Master that opened the door. Joel cowered anyway.

“Come on, quickly,” a young voice called out to him. The burn returned and he staggered forward until the chains stopped him. Joel whined in panic, his eyes snapping to the girl in the doorway. Despite the halt in his progress towards her, the pain did not flare.

The girl hurried forward to meet him, apologies tumbling from her lips as she reached for a key and slotted it into the locks of the cuffs around his wrists. As soon as they were free, he pulled his hands in tight into his chest, protectively.

He glanced up at the girl and softened slightly as he saw the quivering hybrid features that were tucked against her body.

Remembering his commands, he swallowed his pride and barked softly at her. She smiled back at him sadly and it made her look years and years older than her age.

“He’s fond of dog hybrids,” she said, “You have a job to do.”

Joel swallowed nervously.

A minute later he found himself outside of an ornate door. His hand hovered over the door handle, suddenly nervous. Was he supposed to knock? Or just open the door? The girl had just told him to collect the tray. He silently cursed himself for not asking for clarification. And then remembered that he couldn’t have, even if he wanted to. The growl grew in his chest before he even registered it.

For what seemed like the millionth time in the last few days, Joel flinched back from a door flinging open.

“You’re late.” The Master said, plainly.

Joel gulped, heart hammering in his chest. He was pulled roughly in the room, the door slamming behind him. The force had him losing his footing, tipping forward onto the floor.

Joel scrambled from his hands and knees and scooted back from the man above him. Once again.

His Master barely paid him any mind, instead heading towards the door himself. He paused halfway out, turning back around to look at Joel, “Don’t leave this room until I come back for you.” He hissed.

Joel stared, wide eyed as the door swung shut.

“You’re new.”

Joel jumped, letting out a high-pitched squeal as he whipped around to find the source of the voice.

“Sorry, sorry.” And there stood a hybrid, chains around his wrists, collar around his throat. Joel thought of how sore his wrists felt, even after being released from his cuffs. He wondered how long this hybrid with the stunning white wings had been cuffed for.

The hybrid tilted his head, “Angel hybrid,” he said, “I know you want to ask. I’m assuming that you’re a dog hybrid?”

Joel could do little more than nod. The angel hybrid looked rattled and unsettled and Joel wanted to do nothing but curl up in a dark corner and pretend that none of this was happening.

“Not very chatty, huh?”

“The routine never changes.” This time the angel sounded terrified. Joel looked up, his wide eyes meeting the angel’s. He felt so overwhelmed, so panicked, so afraid.

The angel dropped to his knees next to Joel, reaching his hands out like he were approaching a wounded animal. Which Joel supposed he was, in a way.

Their Master chose that moment to return. He took in the scene before him with amused eyes.

“Met my new pet then, Angel?” He asked softly.

Joel watched as fear, uncertainty and apprehension ran through the other hybrid’s eyes. His heart sunk when the emotion that finally settled looked an awful lot like a deep, grieving pity.

 Angel – as Joel decided to call him for lack of a better name – licked his lips nervously before standing and dipping his head.

“Yes, Master,” He all but whispered.

Joel stayed still on the floor, hoping that maybe if he never moved, he might just fade away.

Unfortunately, he had no such luck.

Master hummed. Joel did not know what the hum meant. He flicked his eyes nervously between Angel and his Master, taking in the dynamic between them. It did nothing but further cement down his fear.

Master was clicking his fingers. Joel looked on in confusion, staring warily at the strange action. His brain was whirring, panicked as he tried to figure out if something was expected of him. He looked to Angel, whose eyes were fixed firmly on the floor.

“For fucks sake, mutt, come here.”

Joel scampered to obey, trying desperately to outrun the pain caused by his new obedience curse. He couldn’t help but let a small whine past his lips as he staggered up from where he was still sprawled on the floor.

Angel’s eyebrows were furrowed in a confused concern, but Joel ignored him as best as he could. It was completely irrational, but someone seeing him in this state was humiliating. Even if that other person was in a situation almost exactly the same.

“Look at him, Angel.” Master ordered.

Joel peered curiously to the side. The angel hybrid’s eyes did flicker up to meet his, but it was by no means an instant action. Joel felt incredibly guilty about the annoyance he felt about the fact that the angel was clearly not cursed the same way that he was.

Joel trained his eyes firmly on the grains of wood in the floor beneath his feet.

“Kneel,” Master ordered. Joel dropped to his knees, face flushing in humiliation at how easy it was for this man to control him.

Master petted through his hair, stopping by the base of his ear to rub the spot. Despite how utterly miserable he was, Joel couldn’t stop the instinctive reaction of his tail thumping against the floor.

Master chuckled and continued to scratch at his ears. Joel blinked to try and keep the tears from rolling down his face.

“Come here, Angel,” Master tugged at Joel’s hair, tilting his head back, “You know these runes?”

“No, Sir,” Angel whispered. Joel closed his eyes.

Master hummed, “Let’s see if you can figure it out.”  Joel felt his blood run cold.

“Bark.” Master ordered.

Joel barked, low and deep, the sound mournfully rumbling through his chest. Joel glanced towards Angel, who still looked lost.

Master then gripped tightly at Joel’s hair, his other hand holding Joel’s shoulder down firmly. Joel squirmed, beginning to panic. Angel looked equally as concerned.

“Stand.” Master ordered. Joel suddenly knew where this was going. His body ached to obey, muscles tensing and twitching, the pain growing as Master held him down.

“Please-“ Joel began to beg before more pain flared through his throat as he disobeyed Master’s initial command. He howled in pain.

“Please, stop it.” Angel’s voice was shaky. He sounded horrified.

“As you wish, Angel.” Master said, before turning his attention back to Joel, “Be still,” he commanded.

The pain lessened and Joel slumped, body trembling. He kept his eyes clenched tight shut, and didn’t even try and stop his small, pained whimpers.

“Come on, Angel,” Master said, “You know what time it is.”

Angel tensed.

Master took Angel’s chains in hand and began to lead him from the room. Joel didn’t move.

“Heel, puppy,” Master called out.

Joel’s aching muscles screamed as he pushed himself forward, trailing after his cruel, cruel captor.

Chapter Text

Joel trailed behind his Master, his mind swirling, a mass of panic with a hint of hysteria. At some level, he was convinced that none of this was actually real. Maybe he ate some strange hallucinogenic berries by accident. Maybe he was caught in a horrific nightmare. Maybe he got hit by a witch and was riding out the aftereffects of whatever potion they had thrown.

But when the Master opened the heavy door after sliding open the metal bolts, Joel knew that this was real. He refused to believe that there was a world where he was twisted enough to come up with this.

The machine was brutally functional. Where the rest of the mansion was ornate and decorated, this room was bare, with no attempts to dress it up. It was clearly not meant to only ever exist behind the scenes.

As if it were a practiced routine, the angel hybrid dropped to his knees in the centre of the monstrosity with minimal prompting. Joel could see the hesitation in his movements. It looked like the other was having to force himself to move forward, fighting against whatever instincts that were pulling him back.

Joel couldn’t make himself move. For once, it was nothing to do with the curse. His eyes were blown wide with shock and fear. No, scratch that. Fear was too tame of a word. Maybe it was terror he was feeling. In fact, there was no word that proportionally captured what he was feeling.

“Come here,” his Master called. Joel scrambled to obey. The angel’s head snapped up with an unreadable emotion. One that made Joel all the more nervous. He honestly felt as if he might throw up. All this fear was exhausting.

His Master connected the angel’s collar to the machine, securing it tightly as Joel watched in horror.

“Tie his wrists.” His Master demanded. Joel dropped down to his knees and reached out with a quivering hand. His fingers brushed against the metal of the cuffs around Angel’s wrists. He was trembling too much to be forceful, but Angel seemed resigned to his fate, holding his arm steady to make it easier for Joel to connect the cuff to the machine.

The first cuff connected, but the second was stubborn. The tremor in Joel’s hands made fine motor skills difficult and the gradually increasing cramp in his fingers from the unfulfilled command made for a further barrier.

Angel took a deep, exaggerated breath. Joel flicked his eyes up to his face to see him looking back at him intensely. Angel looked pained but his breathing wasn’t laboured. Maintaining eye contact, he took another breath. Joel found himself copying.

He hissed as a spike of pain hit him, focussing his attention back on tying Angel’s wrist down. Once done, Joel fixed his gaze firmly on the floor and tried to imagine that he was anywhere else, doing anything else.

Master petted his hair. The action was almost fond, and Joel couldn’t stop his eyes closing as if the action could materialise him somewhere else – anywhere else. As long as he was out of this hellhole.

Instead, he stayed exactly where he was, knelt in front on an innocent hybrid who he had just attached to a horrific looking machine. He kept his head bowed slightly so that he didn’t have to look Angel in the eye. Master’s hand stayed in his hair.

A tug at his hair pulled him back. If it weren’t for the pain at his scalp, he would have said the action was gentle. It spoke volumes that for a second he thanked his luck that the tug wasn’t harsh or violent.

His eyes remained downcast as he let Master step in front of him. Angel made a few small, resigned sounds of discomfort, but Joel refused to look. It might be selfish, but he didn’t want to know whatever torturous scheme he had just been complicit to.

The sound of footsteps and shuffling moved around the machine and then towards the door. Joel turned to peek at the exit. Master was opening the door and without saying anything, he shut it closed behind him. Joel heard the bolt slide into place, locking them in.

Gingerly, he got to his feet went over to the door. There was no bolt on the inside, and no way to open the door. The room was also windowless, leaving them only in the light cast by the machine and the old lamp that flickered in the corner.

Slowly and reluctantly, Joel peered towards where Angel knelt.

Angel looked defeated, his head hung, and eyes closed. Joel nearly gagged when he saw the needles that were breaking into his skin. A few small beads of golden liquid beaded at where his skin was broken. It looked like something was being pumped into him.

Joel staggered over and collapsed down to his knees at Angel’s side. He hesitantly reached out and wiped the liquid from his arm with the pad of his thumb. He raised it to his nose and sniffed it. It smelt like blood.

When he looked up, Angel was looking at him blearily, his eyes red rimmed and tired.

Joel took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to do.

“What?” He asked, gritting his teeth against the anticipated burn, holding his thumb out so that the angel knew what he was referring to.

“My blood,” Angel said, “Good for healing potions and remedies.”

Joel cocked his head, his ears flopping sideways.

Angel smiled softly at him. Joel quickly checked himself, cheeks flushing red.

“Master sells it.” He continued, “Makes up the supplies and sells them to apothecaries and medics.”

Joel frowned. That meant that this process must be a common occurrence.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Angel occasionally hummed or shifted as much as he was able.

Eventually he broke the silence, “So, I know you can talk,” Angel said, “You spoke earlier and then before when… when- well, you know.”

Joel winced, and then nodded slowly. He huffed a soft bark. Usually so many hybrid vocalisations would make him embarrassed, but right now it was his only way to communicate.

“Is there a reason you aren’t talking now?” Angel asked again.

Joel nodded. This line of questioning was making him slightly uncomfortable, making him think about something that he’d rather forget. But Angel looked like he really, really needed the distraction.

“Did he tell you not to talk with the curse thing?”

Joel nodded again.

“Do you think I could undo it?”

Joel hadn’t even thought of that. He shrugged.

“Okay, um, can I try?”

Joel nodded desperately.

“Right, sure, ok, you are allowed to talk to me-“ The command wasn’t very commanding nor confident.

Joel opened his mouth, but lost his nerve at the last moment, afraid of the searing pain that flared in his throat with the last word he uttered.

Angel’s hopeful eyes pushed him to try.

“Hi,” he choked out, muscles tensing in preparation. Nothing happened. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes. Angel was beaming at him. Joel smiled back. He felt his tail begin to wag and he bounded to his feet and bounced around a little.

Angel watched him.

Joel looked to him and guiltily remembered the machine.

“Oh shoot, are you ok?” He asked. His voice was gravelly and rough. The jovial tone he used to possess was absent and he was hesitant to speak any louder than was necessary to be heard.

Angel smiled at him sadly. “I will be.”

Joel sat where Angel could see him and leaned against the wall. He tilted his head back and rested it on the dirty stone, closing his eyes and taking a moment of peace. The collar felt heavy around his neck, and he shrugged his shoulders in an attempt to shift it a little.

“I’m assuming you’re new to all this?” Angel went to move as if to gesture around him, but the cuffs held him securely in place. Joel looked away as Angel winced, guilt bubbling in his stomach.

Joel exhaled, trying to will the tears away and praying that his voice didn’t betray how he was feeling, “I- yeah. I was stupid,” he whispered, “fell asleep right by the world hub. How did you know?”

Angel chuckled, “You didn’t know what the clicking meant.” His eyes met Joel’s. They shone with clouded mirth, his fingers moving in the clicking motion although no sound was made, “Every hybrid in the system know what the clicking means.”

Joel huffed, “Probably should have figured it out. I’ve seen people click to summon their dogs before.”

Angel laughed. “I like you, you’re funny.”

Joel smiled back, not willing to break the light moment to tell Angel that he wasn’t joking.

“What’s your name?” Joel asked.

Angel froze.

“No,” he whispered, suddenly looking increasingly agitated, “No, I- I’m not allowed, I mean he said I should forget-“

“Woah, its okay, its fine,” Joel reassured, leaning forward and hesitantly looping his finger around Angel’s. “You don’t have to tell me, I understand,”

“Sorry,” Angel whispered again.

“Don’t be.” Joel replied, heart aching for the other.

They sat in silence for a while. Joel watched as Angel grew paler and paler and began to shiver slightly.

“How much longer will he leave you like… this?” Joel asked, gingerly.

Angel took a deep breath once more and blinked a few times, “I say about fifteen more minutes,”

“I’m sorry,” Joel offered.

Angel just smiled slightly.

After a few minutes, Angel groaned.

Joel looked to him nervously.

“You don’t look so good.” He said. As soon as the words left his mouth he winced. Of course he didn’t look so good Joel, you idiot, the dude is being like drained.

Angel just laughed his little sad laugh again, “Shut up,” he said. It was said lightly, jokingly, but Joel still felt his throat constrict and he choked out a small and strangled noise.

“Oh, oh! I’m so sorry,” Angel spoke fast and worried, “What do I do? Oh shoot, man.”

Joel stared at him and tried a small smile of his own. It’s okay, he tried to communicate.

“I take it back,” Angel said, “You- um- you don’t have to shut up, you can talk to me.”

The slight pressure alleviated, but Joel didn’t make a move to talk. He offered Angel a shaky thumbs up, but he was so exhausted that it was barely a minute before he drifted off, curling up on himself, his tail nuzzled comfortingly under his chin.

He was woken roughly around ten minutes later by a rough bolt scraping against metal and a door screeching open.

Joel shot to his feet and moved away from the door. He stood in front of Angel who looked like a wilted flower, drooping in his restraints. It looked like a gust of wind would have been enough to take him out.

Joel couldn’t help the protective growl as Master approached. His lips pulled back as he bared his sharp, canine-like teeth. His hands curled, ready to lash out with his claws.

“Try it, pup,” Master taunted.

It probably wasn’t meant as a command, but the curse didn’t seem to know that. Hesitantly, Joel lunged forward, aiming to sink his teeth into the man’s arm. A stronger surge of pain forced him off, and he squirmed on the floor.

“Did you already forget the rules?” Master asked in faux concern. He stepped over Joel and made his way to Angel. Joel just lay on the floor, muscles shaking, his face pressed against the cold floor.

He didn’t know how long it had been that he lay there hurting, but Angel’s voice cut through the pain hazed fog.

“What’s wrong with him?” he asked hesitantly.

Master cooed, “He was just following orders.”

“Then why is it hurting him,” Angel sounded concerned.

“Orders conflicted.”

Joel cursed internally. It was intentional. Master had put him in this position deliberately and wished he knew why. If it was to teach him a lesson or to prove a point, then he wanted to know what that was. He would learn the lesson in a heartbeat if it would just stop the pain.

“He’s bleeding,” Angel whispered.

“His blood is of no concern to me,” Master ordered, “Don’t be jealous, Angel.”

Joel shivered. He was sure that Angel was anything but jealous. Joel for sure wouldn’t be if their situations were reversed.

It was with a whine of pain that the world faded slowly and Joel passed out.

Chapter Text

When Joel awoke it was with ringing ears and a pounding head. Groaning, he pushed himself up and stretched out the tight muscles that ached from lying on the hard floor. Waking up in pain with a surge of panic had become a concerningly common occurrence.

The room was deafeningly silent. It felt like the pressure in the air was higher than usual, and Joel could feel his heartbeat pounding heavily against his eardrums.

Ignoring his swimming vision and lurching stomach, he pushed himself to his feet and staggered to the door. As expected, it didn’t budge.

It was strange having no conception of the passage of time. Joel had no way of knowing how long he’d been out for. He’d no idea what time of day it was. Come to think of it, he had no idea what day it even was. With all the madness that had happened recently, keeping track of the calendar had seemed arbitrary and had definitely not been a priority.

Joel was feeling restless. It was rare for him to be still or confined for so long. Usually he’d be running through forests or fields, or he would be drowning in some project. Doing several laps of the small room didn’t really scratch his instinctual need for movement, so he looked for something that might keep his hands busy instead.

It was only at this point that he noticed the dried blood on his hands. Then, Angel’s words came to back to him. The last thing he heard before passing out.

He’s bleeding.

Although, he didn’t feel hurt. Frantically, he began patting himself down, searching for a gash or wound that he somehow had missed. In the end, there was no cut. Blood had crusted around his nose and ears. There was a concerning amount on his shirt and dried on his lower lip, but Joel couldn’t remember if that was just from his nose or if at some point he’d began coughing it up.

Either way, the message was extremely clear. He was fucked. Royally fucked. Obedience was never something that had come especially naturally to Joel. He preferred to toe the line and bend rules. The concept of being pinned down and malleable was pretty much his worst nightmare. And somehow here he was, trapped firmly underneath someone’s thumb.

Bitterly, Joel thought back to the stories he’d hear as a child. The adults who had looked after him had always promised him that he could do anything that he put his mind to. The last thing that they had said to him before he left was a simple: Dreams do come true, Joel.

Dreams do come true. Maybe it was naive of him to believe that without considering that the same could be said for nightmares.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the grating scrape of metal against metal as the bolt on the door slid open. Warily, Joel backed away.

The door opened softly and slowly. Joel contained his instinct to growl, unwilling for a repeat of earlier.

Luckily, it was not Master. The young dog hybrid who had led him out of that basement earlier was stood there, a sad smile full of pity and understanding on her face. Joel looked away, his face flushing with something that felt like humiliation.

“Master said you can come out now,” she said softly. Joel tried to respond, but his throat felt tight and he did not have the energy nor concentration to attempt to fight commands.

The girl must have noticed his struggle, as she softly held his hand and pulled him along behind her.

“It’s best not to fight,” she said, “I know you’re still far from broken, but just keep that spirit locked away from him. It’s safe there, trust me.”

Joel personally thought that sounded an awful lot like being broken. Not that he could point that out anyway.

He was led into a kitchen, where he was gently pushed into a chair. The girl passed him a sad looking roll of bread, before picking one up for herself.

Until he had taken a bite, he hadn’t even realised how hungry he had been. He sighed heavily and let his head thump down on the table.

“Would you mind giving me a hand?” The girl said after a few minutes. Joel looked up to see her folding sheets across the room, “I know you’ve had a rough day so it’s okay if you can’t.”

He might have had a rough day, but this poor girl could have had a rough few years here for all he knew. Joel stood and joined her through the archway. He gingerly plucked a fancy looking pair of trousers out of the drier and folded them, smoothing out the creases just the way he had been taught as a child.

The girl watched approvingly, “If I didn’t know better, with skills like that I would say you’ve been kept as a housekeep before,”

Joel frowned, setting the trousers aside and watching her carefully.

She stared back, eyes wide, “Unless you have been?”

Joel shook his head.

Her eyes never lost the childish glint, “Oooh, I bet you were,” she said, “I bet you were and then you got taken by hunters and any day now your Owner is going to burst through the doors to reclaim you and.. and, oh! Maybe they will beat Master senseless for taking you, and then take me, you and the angel off to their estate. And oh, I bet it is beautiful. It was, wasn’t it?”

Joel just stared at her unblinkingly, mind struggling to keep up. He made a small noise, tilting his head to the side and letting his ears flop. The girl giggled, her face lighting up. She reached up and batted at one of Joel’s ears playfully, a small yip interrupting her laughter.

Joel batted back, gently nipping at the air between them, playfighting in a way that he hadn’t since he was a pup. It was clear that this girl had also not had a chance to play anytime recently.

Her bark was loud and rattled the glassware in the cabinets. Joel wrestled her to the floor and lightly pinned her down, exaggerating the force of her playful hits with yips and squeals of his own.

“This is what I get for getting an untrained one, I suppose.” Joel froze, limbs locking at the cold booming voice. All the light and joy in the air disappeared like a snuffed out flame. Shakily, Joel pulled himself off the floor, pushing the girl behind him protectively.

“What’s going on here then?”

“I’m so sorry, Master, I-“ Joel tightened his grip on the girl’s arm slightly, silently begging her not to take blame.

“Never once have you caused me any disturbance,” Master said, “Therefore the one variable to have changed is clearly the problem.”

He took two long steps forward. Joel could not back away, so there was also nothing he could do to stop Master catching his chin in his grasp. Joel tried to move his head slightly to pull away, but Master only tightened his grip. The girl behind him took in a sharp, shaky breath.

“That variable,” Master continued, “would be you, pup. Beatrice has been nothing but perfect until you appear.”

Joel stared unflinchingly back at him, trying to ignore the way his heart raced in his chest. There was quite literally nothing that he could do. He couldn’t talk – or beg- his way out. He couldn’t make a deal to protect the young girl – Beatrice. He couldn’t lash out or defend himself. He was completely and utterly resigned to the mercy of a cruel, cruel man.

“I think,” Master said, humming thoughtfully as if solving a complicated maths equation, “from now on I will have to keep a close eye on you.”

Joel’s blood froze in his veins. Beatrice clutched the back of his shirt. Master looked pleased with himself.

“Wait right here,” Master commanded, “I’ll be back.”

Joel tried to shuffle his feet when Master swept from the room, but a heavy, invisible weight kept him tightly bound to the floor. He couldn’t even get himself to move enough for the pain of defying a command to flare.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry.” Beatrice was in tears, her face red and flushed. Joel shook his head and rested his hands on her shoulders. When she refused to meet his eyes, he gently guided her chin upwards. When she looked at him, her pupils were blown wide and worry lines marked her face. Joel rubbed away her tears with his thumb, offering her a soft smile. It’s not your fault. He tried to convey. He flicked one eyebrow up when she let out a watery laugh.

“How do you manage to talk without your voice?” She sobbed.

Joel woofed back, nudging her forehead with his nose.

“Stay safe,” she whispered, “remember what I said, don’t fight.”

Joel had every intention to fight, but for Beatrice’s benefit he nodded softly, running a hand through her dirty hair, tucking loose strands behind her ear so that they were out of her face.

The sound of returning footsteps sent Beatrice scuttling back behind him. Joel defiantly looked away as Master approached, fixing his gaze firmly on the wall opposite the door.

It was only when a heavy tug pulled his head forward that he finally looked towards Master.

Master was holding Joel’s collar tightly with one hand, pulling down so that his neck was bent uncomfortably. In his other hand, Master held a leash made of links of a shining metal. The metal was adorned with traces of gold and shining gems.

The glint in Master’s eye made him to afraid to even struggle.

“Beatrice,” Master ordered, “go and deliver some food to my Angel. The schedule is going to be slightly shifted today.”

Joel didn’t dare look away from Master as Beatrice all but fled the room.

“Are you going to be a good boy?” Master asked, patronisingly.

Joel nodded frantically, tugging away only slightly.

It wasn’t enough to stop Master attaching the leash to his collar, the two clicking together firmly. Master tested the strength of the connection with a tug, and Joel found himself stumbling forward.

“There,” Master sounded satisfied, “don’t you look pretty. All dressed up just as a good dog should be.”

Joel fought to keep a straight face, despite feeling like nothing more than a piece of breathing jewellery. What made it even worse, was that the leash was entirely unnecessary. All Master needed were a few words to tie Joel to his side. The physical reminder of that just felt like rubbing salt in the wound. Although, that was most likely the intention anyway. To make Joel feel owned.

Master led him through corridors and archways until they reached a large closet. Joel had kept his gaze firmly on the floor in front of him the entire time.

Each time he felt the movement of the chain attached to his neck, or heard the click of metal against metal, he felt a small part of him fade away. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to scream or cry or sink his teeth right into Master’s throat and shake until there was no way of the man drawing another breath.

“Oh puppy,” Master pouted as if he were talking to a small child with a scraped knee, “What’s with the murder eyes?”

Joel stared at him.

“Cat got your tongue?” Master asked, before laughing at his own joke so hard that Joel feared he may accidentally keel over and die. Personally, Joel was not amused, and let this be known through a small huff.

Ceasing his laughter, Master threw open the doors to the closet and pulled Joel inside. Joel winced. He could feel the skin of his neck beginning to bruise already, and he hadn’t even been wearing the damn collar for a week. He found himself thinking back to the cuffs around Angel’s wrists, even more sympathetic for the Angel’s situation than he had been before.

Joel trailed Master mindlessly as he flicked through clothes. Joel wasn’t quite sure what his part in this mission was, but in all honesty, he had been expecting something painful and horrific, so was more than happy to keep quiet and let Master do whatever it was he was doing.

Eventually, Master hummed thoughtfully, and pulled out an item of clothing completely. From the hanger, hung a billowy shirt. If it weren’t for the thin, slightly see through material, Joel would have said it looked like a pirate shirt, or something that a fancy bard might wear.

Master then continued his search, all the while holding on to the shirt.

The next time he stopped was at a pair of soft looking trousers. They were tight cut, too loose to call them leggings, but there was no sign of pockets or seams to make them look like a normal pair of trousers.

Master thrust the shirt and trousers towards him.

“Change,” he commanded, “If you’re going to be mine, I can’t have you looking like you’ve been dragged through a bush.”

Joel hated that he had to obey. His clothes were soon in a pile at his feet, and he watched mournfully as Master kicked them aside. He supposed he’d never see them again. He wasn’t particularly attached to his old wardrobe, but at least it was something of him. And he had very little of that here.

The next thing Master did was to dye the green in his hair. Joel had always had it. He let everyone assume it was a style choice, but in reality, it had always grown that way. It was what he had been doing in the world hub. He was tracking down his records, with nothing but a rough estimate of his date of birth.

As a child, Joel had been left on the doorstep of a homeless shelter and so had never known his biological family. The family that raised him had been enough, and he had no desire to find his parents. He did however want to know who and what they were.

Cold metal encircling his wrists pulled him out back to the present. Blinking rapidly, he looked down to see a thin metal band around each wrist. Like his collar, they were littered with golden runes. He found himself grateful that at least they weren’t connected together like Angel’s were.

Joel watched as Master ran his fingers over the bands and rotated his wrists around so that his palms were facing upwards.

“Isn’t that better?” Master whispered breathily into his ear.

Joel jerked backwards from the warm breath. He tried to take a step backwards but he hit the wall. That didn’t stop Master moving forwards too, crowding his space as he pinned Joel painfully.

He turned Joel’s head so that he was looking in a mirror.

“You look so perfect,” Master whispered, “Owned and marked just like a good dog should be. Just like how you were always meant to be. You’ll never have to worry again, I have you now. You’re mine, puppy.”

Joel stared at himself. There were dark circles under his eyes and the dye in his hair not only hid the green, but dulled down the warmth of his brown. Through the shirt, hand shaped bruises could be seen on his arms. The trousers were… fine. Impractical, nothing Joel would have picked himself, but they were fine. His feet were bare and it did not look like he was going to be offered shoes.

But, worst of all, was the metal locked around his throat and wrists. It was painfully clear that Joel was a possession, that he was owned.

Master let go of his chin and Joel couldn’t look away fast enough.

“Perfect.” Master whispered.

Chapter Text

Wherever Master went, Joel went. He didn’t remember the last time he spoke. He didn’t remember the last time he acted for himself. Logically, he knew that it had only been a few days. A week? But the time had all merged into a blur of orders and muffled obedience. There was scarcely even room for emotion. In fact, he avoided emotion as much as possible. It seemed to be the only way to survive in this place.

He barely saw Beatrice. She was but a shadow, passing by in the background, keeping the house running and functioning. Master never bothered with her. Joel had the suspicion that he wasn’t quite monstrous enough to hurt a child.

Although, Master was never one to really inflict pain. At least not without reason. He had never lashed out at Joel. Sure, if Joel stepped out of line there was the pain of the curse. If he found a loophole or got in the way, Master might reprimand him. And of course, Master was constantly yanking him around.

Anyway, the point was, Joel was never beaten bloody and left in a corner with no clue as to why.

It was very rare that he made eye contact with anyone other than Master anymore, and even that was only when told to. He had caught Angel staring at him sometimes, but Joel just stayed quietly at Master’s feet and pretended that he wasn’t there.

It had become apparent that Master simply adored Angel. He wasn’t a pet like Joel. Joel was like a household dog, but Angel was like a prize. To Master, Angel was the best thing he owned, something he showed off like a trophy. Joel had physically recoiled when he had first seen the gigantic bird cage that Angel was kept in.

~~~

From the beginning, Joel knew that today would be different. He woke up as usual, curled on the dog bed at the foot of Master’s bed, leash looped around the bottom of the bedpost. Joel could technically untie it himself, but he learned the hard way not to touch the leash. The small burns on his fingertips stung at the very thought. Master said he was sad when he had pressed the hot metal to Joel’s hands. Commanded not to move, all Joel that could do was internally scream as tears filled his eyes and his teeth cut into his tongue.

Master was not in the room when he woke. For a second, Joel faltered. Without eyes on him, or a command to follow, he was suddenly completely at a loss of what to do. Exercising the small slither of free will he was gifted, Joel stood and stretched. He couldn’t go far due to the leash, but he could take a step or two in each direction.

He could just about get far enough to see in the mirror. He played with his hair, sweeping it to the side in a crude imitation of how he used to wear it. Master had redyed it yesterday, after noticing that his roots were starting to growth through.

Joel ran his fingers through the fur on his ears, smoothing the hairs out. Similarly, he ran his hands over his tail, untangling some of the strands.

It wasn’t much, but having some control over his own appearance somewhat settled the storm cloud that had engulfed him over the past few weeks.

Sitting back down at the foot of the bed, Joel rested his head on the bedframe and closed his eyes. The moment of peace was a nice break. There were no orders tying him down. Or at least none that were threatening to him right in that moment.

But, the calm never lasted long before the storm came in.

When the door did open, it was not Master as he had expected. Angel looked down at him, eyes wide and growing glossy as he looked down at Joel.

Joel felt frustration simmering beneath his skin. He had seen firsthand the horrors that Angel was subjected to, and it was one of the only things keeping him sane. As guilty as the thought made him feel, Joel clung to the idea that at least his hell wasn’t as bad as Angel’s. So, Angel looking at him like he was a kicked puppy was coming dangerously close to breaking that small comfort he had.

If he didn’t have that, then he didn’t have anything. At least if his situation could get worse, his compliance wasn’t for nothing. He could pretend that he was more than just a pet for a spoilt and prejudiced man.

“Hey,” Angel whispered, dropping to his knees at Joel’s side. Joel remained statue still. “Can you undo the chain for me?”

Angel gestured to the end of the leash around the bedpost. Joel felt his heart jump to his throat. He knew what Angel was trying to do. He was trying to make Joel feel like he had some autonomy. But as usual, fear proved stronger than kindness.

Joel shook his head rapidly, pulling his hands in tightly to his chest and turning his head away, closing his eyes tightly.

“Okay,” Angel said calmly, “Okay, that’s fine. You’re okay. Do you mind if I do it?”

Joel opened his eyes and looked cautiously at Angel. When he found no hint of animosity in the other, he nodded slowly.

“Okay,” Angel said. He moved slowly and solidly, making sure that Joel could see exactly what he was doing. Joel wanted to be mad at how Angel was treating him like he was fragile, but his actions were successfully making Joel feel more relaxed.

“Are you okay?” Angel asked, the chain connecting his cuffs clinking against Joel’s metal leash, “Hurt at all?”

Joel just shrugged.

“You can talk to me remember,” Angel prompted, “I give you permission to talk to me.”

Joel thought back to the pain in his throat the last time he spoke. He remembered how Master just watched as his screams of pain set off the pain from the curse. All Master did was stroke his hair and remind him that he wasn’t supposed to speak. It might have just been in his head, but the repetition of the command made the pain of disobeying hurt all the more.

Joel opened his mouth before closing it again, wincing as his teeth clicked loudly. He shook his head.

Angel just sighed, “Just, please don’t give up. I know it all seems hopeless.”

Angel sat down close to his side, Joel’s leash in his hands loosely.

“I had almost given up before you came,” he admitted quietly, “It had just been the same routine over and over, all day every day. I started to think that maybe if just let myself drift – mentally, I mean – maybe it would be easier. But then you were there. Defiant and full of life. I’ve never been free and had almost given up on dreaming of it. Your life keeps me going. I hate that you are stuck here, that he is taking so much from you. But you have to keep a hold of yourself, okay? It sucks. It’s torture here, I can’t claim it isn’t, but hope is all we have and I can’t – I won’t – let you slip away. When you leave here, I want it to be as a free man, not because you’re lost within your own body.”

Joel sniffled before he even knew he was crying. Angel was crying too, and Joel hesitantly tucked an arm around him.

Angel took a deep breath, wiped his tears and then did the same for Joel.

“We should go,” he said, pushing himself to his feet, “Master wants us downstairs. I think he’s just showing off to some of his fancy friends again.”

Joel stood shakily. He must not have done a very good job at hiding his trepidation, as Angel nudged him comfortingly, “Hey, it’ll be okay. Just keep quiet and try to keep him happy,”

Joel raised an eyebrow and tapped his finger against the side of his collar, lip quirked in a slight smirk.

Angel laughed, “There you are.” He said happily. Joel huffed a laugh.

He would get out of here. And he would take Angel with him. Angel deserved to fly free, and Joel would do just about anything to give the other a life that was his.

~~~

Master was waiting downstairs. He took Joel’s leash from Angel and Joel obediently sunk to his knees at his side. Master’s hand found its favourite place combing through Joel’s hair. Master scratched behind Joel’s ears and after such an emotionally vulnerable morning, Joel couldn’t stop himself from leaning into the affectionate action. His tail thumped happily, and Joel let his eyes slide shut for just a moment.

A loud click of a lock had Joel flinching away and snapping his eyes wide open.

“Shhh,” Master pulled him back and Joel went easily to prevent strangling himself on the collar.

“It was just the birdcage, you’re okay,” Master’s voice was soothing, but it invoked nothing but a bitter taste in Joel’s mouth. Joel glanced up to the bird cage which now contained Angel. Angel looked back at him reassuringly, smiling softly before turning and attempting to make himself comfortable.

Joel shifted his weight. His knees were beginning to hurt from kneeling on the hard ground, but still Master showed no signs of movement. Joel couldn’t help but imagine all of the horrific scenarios that might unfold.

The doorbell rang, startling Joel from his thoughts with another violent jump. Master chuckled fondly, swatting the back of Joel’s head.

“No need to be so jumpy, pup.” He said. Joel begged to differ. There were plenty of reasons that called for him to be jumpy.

Master tugged Joel along as he went to answer the door. It was clear that he had been expecting whoever this guest would be, and the idea of being on show made him feel slightly sick. There were so many opportunities to mess up and Joel did not want to know what the consequences of messing up would be.

Joel stumbled to his feet and stood warily behind Master as he opened the door. The man who answered looked just about as to how Joel expected him to look. He wore a pressed suit, neat and fitted. A fancy, old fashioned looking ring sat on his finger, glinting in the light. Behind him stood his own hybrid, a girl who looked to be part deer.

The deer hybrid looked at him inquisitively. Her gaze was analytical, and Joel felt like she could read his mind. He felt as if all of his secrets were on show. Her face twisted when she met his gaze and Joel schooled his expression carefully to try and hide his utter terror.

He tore his gaze away and stared at a point vaguely off in the distance. Suddenly, he had the urge to laugh. This whole situation was so incredibly surreal. People. They were people, all of them. Him, Angel, Beatrice and this deer hybrid were all people. Master was a person, as was this new fancy looking guy. They were all people. Yet somehow the world had gotten to a point where some of them were deemed better.

Luckily, Joel did not laugh. Master could be a bit unpredictable with his reactions to Joel, but it was with almost one hundred percent certainty that Joel could say that he would not like what would happen to him if he laughed right now.

“Welcome, welcome,” Master was saying, stepping aside to allow the newcomer in.

“This is your newest?” The other man was asking.

“Yes, this is the one,” Master replied, “Never seen a lick of training, but I think I’ve done a decent job with him.”

“Never trained, you say?”

“No, he was a wild one,” Master said. Joel gritted his teeth together and forced himself to take a long, slow breath, “Hunters picked him up - what was it, puppy - just over two months ago?”

Joel looked up to Master nervously, then glanced at the other man and his hybrid. Was he supposed to answer? Did Master expect him to try and speak? Or just nod? Or was the question purely rhetorical?

Master looked at him, noted his panic and chuckled fondly, reaching out and stroking a hand along Joel’s jawline. Joel kept his mouth firmly closed and fixed his gaze on the coat rack over Master’s shoulder.

Master led his friend through the house until they ended up in a cozy drawing room. Joel took this time to examine the new hybrid. She had no collar like he and Angel did, and she looked healthy. There was no trace of fear on her face, but he also struggled to read her for anything else. Her wrists were cuffed but it looked more like a formality than anything else. If anything, she looked almost content. Joel wondered if this was what happened to you after being beaten down by the system.

Master clicked at his feet. Joel very painfully recalled what that command meant. He went swiftly, sinking to his knees at the foot of the sofa, allowing Master to pull his head back across his lap and run a hand through his hair.

Joel thought back to the conversation he had with Angel earlier. Maybe he didn’t just have to be a sitting duck. Maybe there was a way he could use Master’s insistence of having Joel at his side to their advantage.

Joel let his eyes slip mostly closed, but continued to watch the stranger through thick eyelashes. His movements were all calculated and precise. His eyes were focussed as if his mind was working fast on several different puzzles at once. He barely acknowledged his hybrid as she stood out of view of Master in the corner of the room.

The stranger’s eyes kept flickering to Joel, and if he wasn’t pressed up against Master, Joel would have shivered at the way the man watched him. It was strange how quickly he had become accustomed to being looked at the way Master looked at him. Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but it felt like this new man were looking at Joel and actually seeing him. Seeing him beyond the dog ears, behind the tail, behind the restraints that marked him as owned.

Joel closed his eyes and took a breath. Stop with the wishful thinking, he reminded himself.

Master’s fingers caught on a knot in Joel’s hair and he couldn’t help the small whine that escaped his lips. Master stopped talking at the noise and Joel instinctively tensed, opening his eyes.

Master was looking at him expectantly. Joel was at a loss as to what he was expected to do. Nervously, he licked his lips, wishing he could shift away. Unfortunately, Master’s hand was still buried in his hair.

The silence only lasted a beat before Master continued whatever it was that he was saying. Something about shares in a business event or something. Either way, Joel couldn’t quite follow the conversation, so kept to looking for clues in tone and body language.

Master excused himself after around half an hour. Joel shifted to follow, but Master stilled him. “You stay right there until I’m back.”

 And then, Joel was left alone with the new human and his hybrid. He was frozen in place, but couldn’t stop the quivering of his muscles as he knelt on the floor. He hated the small part of him that wished for Master to return.

There was a shuffling sound of movement before someone was crouched in front of him. Joel flinched back, but the command from Master made it nothing more than a small jerk before he stopped the movement, staying firmly rooted to the spot.

A hand reached out and settled softly on his jaw. The human moved Joel’s head side to side before lifting his chin up and running a finger over the enchanted collar. Joel couldn’t suppress the shudder this time.

“It’s cursed.” The human said. Joel stared at him, blinking rapidly. Was the human talking to him? Suddenly, he wished that he’d watched Angel or Beatrice more closely in their interactions with Master. As the man was so keen to remind him, Joel was not trained for whatever it was this was. So, he was learning the hard way. Through pain and fear. And Joel did not know what this new human was capable of.

“That makes things more complicated.” Joel spun around at the sound of the deer hybrid’s voice. His eyes were wide and he blinked at her. It was a poor attempt at a warning, one that she clearly didn’t receive as she smiled warmly at him.

“Don’t worry,” she said. Joel was very much worried. He was confused and scared and had no idea what was going on.

“Hey,” the human said calmingly. Joel snapped his attention back to him. His breaths were coming in rapidly and Joel’s lungs were beginning to burn. It felt like he was dying. Oh my god, was he dying? This would be a really shit was to go out. Joel didn’t want to die chained whilst kneeling on the floor of some sick freak’s mansion.

“Relax,” The human was muttering, “breathe, breathe, follow my breaths.”

Joel sucked in another rapid, uncontrolled breath. And that was all it took. A slicing pain hit him in the chest as the collar fired, but try as he might, Joel could not align his breathing with the stranger in front of him. The pain bubbled and Joel faintly registered that he was screaming. The sound was guttural and low, and felt disjointed. His vision was clouding and so when he caught the concerned look on the human’s face, it was easy to just write it off as a trick of the light.

“I see you figured out my secrets,” Master noted. Joel did not remember him coming back in the room, but in that moment Joel had never been so glad to see another person in his life.

As Master sat, he reached up and gripped at Master’s knee with his hands. The bands around his wrists were so painfully visible, but the sight of them always seemed to please Master. Joel looked into Master eyes and pleaded as much as he could without his voice. He drooped his ears down and whined through gritted teeth, attempting to keep his screams of pain in as much as possible.

Master just looked straight back at him. Desperate now, Joel closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Master’s leg.

“Okay, okay,” Master’s hand was back in his hair, “Still, puppy, still.”

And just like that the pain ceased. Joel sucked in grateful lungfulls of air and didn’t even try to stop the way his body slumped against Master. He was trembling and panting, and Master did nothing but continue to stroke his hair.

“An obedience curse?”

“Yep,” Master confirmed, “Cost me a pretty penny to find a blacksmith willing to create a collar that could contain it.”

“I suppose that’s one way to break him in,” It might have been Joel’s ears deceiving him, but Master’s fancy friend sounded frightened.

Chapter Text

“And you’re sure you wouldn’t mind?” Master was asking. Joel had regained himself after the whole breathing incident and was now knelt quietly as Master’s side. Master’s hand was no longer in his hair, and it felt like the man had forgotten that he was even there. And Joel was not about to do something that might change that.

“I’d be happy to,” Master’s friend replied, “The conference is important for your business, and you wouldn’t have the space to bring hybrids with you. And I frankly could use a break for a week, so it works out perfectly for both of us.”

Master laughed in disbelief, “You know, you are a strange one, Lord Mumbo Jumbo. Not many of your rank would offer to house sit,”

Master’s friend – who was apparently a Lord – smiled. Joel had expected a Lord to be offended as such a statement, but as Master had pointed out, Lord Mumbo Jumbo was a strange one.

~~~

A month later and Joel had almost forgotten about that strange interaction. That was, until he was startled awake earlier than usual. Master was shrugging on a coat and grabbing his briefcase.

“Heya, pup,” Master said when he noticed Joel watching him, “I’m off for a week so be good, yeah?”

Joel nodded numbly.

“Good boy,” Master petted his hair and was then undoing his leash and sweeping out the room. Joel stumbled as he tried to get his feet under him, still uncoordinated from sleep.

Master led him to the entrance hall where he tightly secured Joel’s leash to the banister with the clicking of a lock. Joel watched as he deposited the key on top of a neatly folded piece of paper that sat on the ornately carved wooden table in the entrance hall.

And then, Master was gone. The large house stood still and silent. Joel sat on the bottom step of the stairs and watched the door, waiting.

It felt as if time were paused, as if he were the only object capable of movement or life. The only other movement was the growing of the shadows as Joel watched the sun slowly rise through the window.

Signs of life eventually arose from downstairs, but neither Angel nor Beatrice made a move to leave the basement. Joel just tiredly rested his head against the spindles of the banister and exhaled slowly. He pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them tight to his chest. 

~~~ 

The sun was fully risen when the noise came from the front door. Joel wearily tilted his head so he could see the door, but other than that, he didn’t move.

Master’s fancy friend – Lord Mumbo Jumbo, Joel remembered – stepped through the door, and then held it open for the deer hybrid. Neither of them seemed to notice him.

Mumbo plucked a pair of strange looking goggles from his pocket and put them on. He glanced all around him, head swivelling madly. If Joel was in a better mood he would have giggled.

“No cameras or microphones.” Mumbo stated.

“There’s a note here, Mumbo,” the deer hybrid called out. She picked up the keys carefully and then opened the paper.

“It’s a list of information about the hybrids.” She called out. Mumbo plucked it out of his hand.

“No talking, no attacking, no running away…” Mumbo’s voice trailed off as he mumbled through the letter, “This is more complicated than we thought, Gem.”

The deer hybrid – who now Joel knew was called Gem – was reading over Mumbo’s shoulder. “This guy is genuinely twisted.” Her nose was furrowed in disgust. Joel just sighed again and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the banister again.

Joel heard a soft patter of footsteps coming up the stairs from the basement.

“Can I get you anything, my Lord?” Beatrice asked nervously. Mumbo shrieked, and Gem cackled. Joel still didn’t open his eyes.

“Um, no thank you.” Mumbo said. Definitely strange, Joel thought. Although, his only in depth experience with humans who thought themselves better than hybrid was Master. So maybe this Mumbo guy was normal, and Master was the anomaly?

“Oh my god, Mumbo, look,” Gem hissed.

“Is that…” Mumbo trailed off and Joel heard the crinkling of paper, “There’s no note of his name, Gem.”

Joel stiffened. They must be talking about him.

He heard Gem sigh, “You really surprised at that?” She asked.

“I suppose not, no.” Mumbo sounded sad.

Footsteps. Footsteps that were definitely approaching him. Joel held in a groan as he shifted his aching muscles and neatly rearranged himself so that he was kneeling at the bottom of the stairs.

“Go and check on the girl, Gem?” Mumbo said. The clomping of hooves moved and Joel heard as she found her way downstairs. He found himself hoping the floors weren’t damaged or else Master would probably be mad. Joel did not like Master mad.

Eyes still closed, Joel listened to track Mumbo’s position in the room. The human hovered where he was for a second before making his way over closer to Joel. He sighed sadly before sinking down next to Joel and taking a seat on the step.

“You don’t have to kneel if you don’t want to,” Mumbo said, “It’s alright, feel free to relax.”

Joel opened his eyes. He had been expecting a command. An order. But he was not going to pass up the opportunity, and so cautiously unfolded himself so that he was sat next to the human.

“I suppose you don’t have the best experiences with humans.” Mumbo said.

Joel turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, sorry, um, how does this work?” Mumbo scanned the letter again, “Um- you can talk around me?”

The order was definitely phrased as a question. Joel just prayed to whatever deity was out there that it still counted.

“I was raised by humans.” Joel croaked. His voice was raw and rough from disuse.

“Oh,” Mumbo looked back at him with wide curious eyes, “They were good?”

Joel laughed slightly and nodded, still nervous about using his words.

“Well, my name is Mumbo, Gem and I work to help people out of situations like yours.”

Joel hummed.

“Can I ask your name?” Mumbo asked.

Joel thought back to how scared Angel had been when Joel had asked his name. He imagined all the ways Mumbo could abuse that last piece of himself he had left. But then he thought of the way he treated Gem. The way the first thing he did was scan for cameras. Something deep in his gut urged him to trust Mumbo.

“Joel,” he whispered, almost inaudibly.

“Joel?” Mumbo confirmed. Joel nodded.

“Well, Joel,” Mumbo slowly reach out and brushed a hand against Joel’s arm, “Over this week we want to do what we can to get you out of here as easily as possible. This whole operation relies on my social standing, so unfortunately we can’t just steal you away, but we can do everything we can to make sure you are out of here as soon as possible. Sound okay?”

Joel just sat and blinked. It seemed too good to be true. But his life for the past few months had been so surreal that at this point he was willing to just go along in whichever direction the wind blew.

He nodded, the action small and nervous. Mumbo looked concerned so Joel just offered him a tentative smile.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Mumbo asked.

Joel shook his head.

“Do you want to move somewhere more comfortable?”

Joel nodded before aborting the action. His cheeks flamed red in humiliation as he realised that he couldn’t, not with his leash still chained to the railing.

“Your friend has the key.” Joel whispered, running his fingers across the metal leash and hoping that Mumbo figured out what he was trying to say.

Mumbo looked from him to the lock back to him. He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

“It’s okay.” Joel murmured.

Mumbo laughed breathily, “I’m supposed to be the one comforting you.”

Joel smiled a small smile “You could start by getting me off this staircase.”

“I’ll be right back,” Mumbo said, “Will you be okay for a moment?”

Joel nodded and watched as Mumbo followed the direction that Gem went in.

He allowed himself to close his eyes momentarily, and then all of a sudden he was being shaken awake.

Startling, Joel moved back from the hands as fast as he could, clenching his jaw shut tightly to prevent any noise from escaping him.

“Shoot, sorry,” Joel peered through his eyelids to see Angel crouched over him, a shining key in his hand.

Joel took a breath and tried to calm his racing heart.

 “You alright?” Angel asked, concern written in his features, “You were up here alone with the Lord, and I know he’s talking the good talk but I can’t help but be dubious.”

Joel nodded.

“You can speak to me,” Angel reminded him softly.

“He was kind.” Joel said. His voice sounded low and scratchy and Angel winced.

“Do you want some water before we join them?”

Joel looked up at him eyes wide. Master took Joel’s feeding routine very seriously and while it was enough to keep him alive and functioning, it often left him thirsty and hungry.

“Please.” Joel whispered.

“Okay,” Angel said, undoing the lock on Joel’s leash and handing the end to him.

“You think you can manage leading yourself?” He asked.

Joel huffed a bitter laugh and nodded as Angel helped him to his feet.

“Do you have the week off?” Joel asked as he followed Angel to the kitchen.

Angel hummed, “What do you mean?”

“From the creepy blood thing.” Joel clarified.

Angel froze for a second and Joel worried that he had overstepped.

“Ah, I actually don’t know.” Angel said quietly.

They didn’t talk much after that. Joel drank a glass of water, and refilled it before trailing behind Angel presumably to where Mumbo and Gem waited with Beatrice.

When they walked in, the soft conversation quietened.

“Everything okay?” Gem asked, looking between Angel and Joel.

Joel nodded, taking another sip from his glass.

“Come sit,” Gem prompted them, seemingly noticing how they lingered awkwardly in the doorway.

Joel jerked as his body moved to obey the command. It was only once he was seated on the plush rug, back to the sofa that he noticed everyone’s eyes on him. He kept his gaze firmly fixed on the rug as humiliation flooded through him. No one spoke and he closed his eyes, wishing that he was literally anywhere else.

“I’m so sorry, Joel,” Gem said. Her voice wasn’t quiet, but it was calm and soothing. Joel didn’t move and didn’t look at her.

“Joel?” Angel echoed. “That’s your name?”

Joel glanced up to him before returning his eyeline to the floor. He nodded.

“It suits you,” Angel said softly.

Chapter Text

Mumbo and Gem had stayed the night, and planned to every night afterwards until Master would return. It had been slightly jarring to Joel to wake up in a bed and not chained down. The comfort of a mattress did wonders. He awoke each morning feeling more and more like himself than he had in weeks.

It was also strange to wander his own way downstairs purely through his own volition. And each morning when he did make it downstairs, he was all but tackled by Angel, whose large white wings would beat powerfully to prevent them from tumbling to the ground.

Master had been wary to let anyone else operate his monstrous machine and Joel had instantly seen the resulting change in Angel’s demeanour. The other was brimming with energy and Joel didn’t think he’d ever met anyone who moved and fidgeted as much as this version of Angel. Especially once compared to the still shadow of a person that he had been before Master was away.

Early in the second day, Mumbo had found a key in Master’s office which unlinked Angel’s cuffs so that his hands weren’t bound together, and another which detached the leash from Joel’s collar. Although for him, the leash made little difference to the freedoms he was allowed, the absence of it felt like an olive branch reaching in his direction.

Ever since Gem and Mumbo had arrived, Beatrice had been quiet, but Joel had noticed the new spring in her step and the confidence in the way she held her ears and tail. The young girl was skittish and afraid, but he was glad to see that she hadn’t been completely broken. He hoped that in the very near future somebody could teach her what life should be like.

On the fourth day, Joel, Beatrice and Angel had been sat around the kitchen table. Early in the week, Joel had introduced the two to tea and ever since they had been badgering him for cup whenever there was a lull in conversation. Currently, they all had a steaming mug cradled in their hands.

“Joel?” Gem’s voice called out. Joel, who had his back to the door jumped and skittishly leaped to his feet out of his chair and spun around to face her.
“Sorry, sorry,” Gem apologised. Joel waved her off, “I just- can I have a word?”
Joel nodded cautiously, taking his mug as he followed Gem through to Master’s study.

“Right,” she seemed hesitant to breach the subject with him. The way she sat up so straight indicated that the topic was probably serious. Absent mindedly, Joel tucked his tail in close to his leg and curled his shoulders inwards ever so slightly.
“What is it?” Joel asked. Her caution did nothing but add fuel to the ever-growing flame of anxiety crackling in his stomach.
“Okay, if you don’t want to have this conversation, you can just let me know, okay?”
Joel stared at her and nodded very slightly, “Okay,” he whispered.
“Right,” Gem said. “I’m trying to choose my words very carefully, so I don’t trigger the… um… the…”
“The curse.” Joel said flatly.
“Right, yes. Exactly.” Gem cleared her throat. It was an obvious attempt to distil the rising tension in the room.

“Okay,” Gem continued, shuffling some papers on the desk that almost definitely didn’t need shuffling, “So, am I alright to ask about some of your baseline commands?”
Joel nodded, looking down as to not have to meet her eyes, “Um, no words, no hurting Master, no running. I think that’s all the underlying ones, but it’s hard to keep track when he orders me around so much.”

Gem sighed and slouched back in the chair, “Right,” she pinched the bridge of her nose, “That is going to make some of this very complicated.”
“What do you mean?” Joel was beginning to feel his worries evolve into fear. He almost wished for the helplessness he felt before. If there is one thing worse than feeling doomed, it was the bursting of the balloon of hope.
“If we help you escape, how will we keep you from getting hurt from the curse? What happens if he asks you to tell him the whole plan?”
Joel felt his stomach drop once more, “Please don’t leave me here.”
“No, I- Joel, that’s not what I meant.” Gem reached a hand outwards as if to calm a frightened animal.
“Please, do anything,” he begged, “Use the curse, order me not to say anything, please, just don’t leave me here.”
“We won’t, okay, I need you to listen to me,” Gem said, grabbing a hold of Joel’s hands, “we will not leave you behind.”
“I need a minute,” Joel muttered. Before Gem had a chance to acknowledge him, he was on his feet and pushing his way out of the office.

He didn’t even know where he was going. His feet were just moving, and his mind just wanted to get far, far away from his current situation.

Before, when he was feeling stressed, Joel would run. He would weave through trees or just push himself to go as fast as he could in an open field. Supposedly, it was for this reason that while searching for an escape from his anxiety that he found himself pushing open the door to the estate’s garden.

Said anxiety was also to blame for why his guard was so lowered that he forgot the very rules that he was so caught up on.

The first flare of pain caught him so off guard that his only reaction was to freeze still as a statue. Once the initial shock had worn off, it hurt. It hurt so much. Even as he scrambled back from the outside, the pain did not lessen.

Joel tucked himself into a ball, leaning against the wall by the door. He pressed a hand to his mouth to muffle his whimpering. His body shook and he was beginning to feel slightly detached from himself, almost as if he were on a boat during a stormy sea.

A big breath in came out again pretty quickly as the action invoked a small yelp. And once the first noise came, it was very hard to hold the others in.

“Joel?” A voice rang out. Joel looked up blearily.
A large shape approached him and he instinctively shied away.

“Joel?” A different voice called from further down the corridor.

The first figure was quick to drop to Joel’s side, wrapping themselves around him. Large white feathers clouded his vision. Feathers. Right.
“Angel?” Joel croaked out.

Angel paused, before tucking Joel in tighter to him, “Skizz. My name, it’s Skizz.”
“Skizz,” Joel parroted.

“Joel, what happened?” The second voice was suddenly much closer.
“No.” Skizz was shielding him once again. There was a hint of panic in his voice, but most obvious was the cadence of fierce protectiveness.
“No,” Skizz repeated, “Leave him alone, he’s had enough. No more questions, or commands. Stop adding more weight to his shoulders, he’s had enough.”
“I wouldn’t,” the second voice was soft and reassuring, but Joel’s mind was too fuzzy with pain to think that through. Skizz was wary, and Joel trusted Skizz. Joel let out a sob as another stab of pain shot through him.
“I would never use the curse on him,” the second voice carried on, “not even to cover our own hides. I would never make him do something in a way that gives him zero choice.”
“How can we trust you?” Skizz bit back.

Joel didn’t hear the answer over the sound of his own screams. He faintly remembered thrashing in Skizz’s arms. He faintly remembered soft hands holding him down as he fought. He faintly remembered the panic he felt as something pulled at the collar around his neck.

When Joel next woke up, he felt strangely light. His whole body ached in time with his pulse, and he couldn’t help the groan that slipped past his lips.

“He’s awake!”
The shout felt like a pike spearing through his skull. Joel let out a high-pitched whine and the volume of the noise around him died down.

“Hey, Joel, are you with me?”
Joel blinked open an eyelid and slowly let his eyes become accustomed to the light. With a few blinks, the person in front of him came into focus.
“M’mbo?” Joel muttered.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s me,” Mumbo confirmed, “how are you feeling?”
“What happened?” he asked, searching his memory groggily for the events that got them in this situation.
“You, uh- The curse activated,” Mumbo told him gravely, “We couldn’t stop it, so you just had to ride it out. Joel, it was- I mean, it was horrible watching you like that. Even once you passed out you were shaking. I’ve never seen anything like that before.” Mumbo shivered, “And trust me when I say I’ve seen some terrible things in this business.”

Joel let his head sink back into the pillow, “You need to make sure I don’t tell Master.”
“What?” Mumbo all but squeaked, “Joel, did you not hear me? I will not put you through that. I will not be the cause of another-“
“Please, Mumbo.” Joel pushed himself up shakily, “You have to. If I ruin this because of a stupid obedience collar, then so many people suffer. Not just us but you and Gem too. And then all of the people that you help because you won’t be there for them. I’m just one person. I’m not worth all those lives.”

Joel looked up to meet Mumbo’s eyes. Mumbo was crying. Not even subtly. Big tears rolled down his cheeks and he looked so hopeless. It was a look that Joel could only describe as complete and utter defeat.

“I will only do this if you are one hundred percent sure. I’m trusting you to be completely honest with me here.”
“I need you to.” Joel did not back down.
“Okay, okay,” Mumbo sighed shakily and wiped his face, “I’ll need some time to think it over. And I think you do too. So, if you’re still sure at the end of the week I will do it for you.”
“Thank you.” Joel whispered.
Mumbo all but sobbed, “Don’t thank me Joel, not for this. Never for this.”

Chapter Text

Master was due back early the next morning. Joel sat mournfully, staring out the window at the stars. He was curled up on the windowsill and was making very sure that all of his limbs remained firmly inside of the building.

It was strange, grieving for himself. For the past few days, he had tried to keep it to himself, but his mind was made. Skizz deserved to live for the first time in his life, and Beatrice was so young, she could build a whole wonderful world for herself and move on.

But Joel, Joel was standing in their way. He knew that Skizz would never agree to leave if the plan didn’t also involve getting Joel out. The only problem with that, was no matter how much he wanted out of this place, it was physically impossible.

With a final heavy sigh, Joel pushed himself away from the window and went searching for Mumbo. He found everyone in the drawing room. The atmosphere was heavy and sad, but the silver lining of hope shone brightly.

Joel announced his presence with a gentle knock to the doorframe, “Hey, Mumbo can I speak with you for a moment?”

Mumbo nodded and extracted himself from the edge of the sofa he was perched on. Gem, whose legs had been resting on his knees, frowned playfully at him. Mumbo shook his head good-naturedly. Joel’s heart fractured even deeper at seeing the friendly connections he doubted that he would ever form again.

Joel led them far away. With each step Mumbo looked graver and graver. When Joel finally decided on a room, Mumbo closed the door slowly and took a seat.

“I’m assuming I’m not going to like what you have to say?” Mumbo asked sadly.
“I’m sorry,” Joel said, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice, “They deserve to get out.”
“So do you.” Mumbo added. Despite the words, his tone suggested that he already knew that he was fighting a losing battle.

“I need to ask another favour.” Joel admitted.
Mumbo looked concerned.

“You can’t let them know I’m not coming.”
“What?” Mumbo spluttered.
“When you come back for them,” Joel clarified, “You have to make sure that they don’t do something stupid and come back for me.”
“Joel we’re coming back for you too. You know that right?” Mumbo’s pitch rose with something that sounded a lot like desperation. Joel shook his head.
“You can’t.” He said. “I’m a liability. To you, to them, to everyone you can help.”
“We already had this argument,” Mumbo snapped.
“And I haven’t changed my mind.” Joel countered.

“Listen to me,” his tone grew firm and he winced slightly at the aggression in his own voice, “I cannot leave this place. You can drag me away and I will just suffer until this curse kills me.”

Mumbo flinched.
Joel softened his tone, “What I’m trying to say, is I won’t ruin their chance of freedom. It’s probably the only one that they’re going to get.”
“We have someone who knows about runes and curses,” Mumbo pleaded, “He can help you, he can counter it, he can-“
“Mumbo,” Joel interrupted, “if he could help me then you would have brought it up earlier. Then none of this would ever have been an issue. Just, when you come back for them, let me help you. I can keep Master away.”
“But, Joel…” Mumbo trailed off. Judging by the slump of his shoulders, Joel assumed that the other knew he was right.
“And hey,” Joel swallowed his doubt, feeling bad for making the other so upset, “if you find a magic cure then come back for me. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
Mumbo sat up and looked him in the eyes, “I promise. I’ll keep looking for something that can help you and I will come back and get you out of here. I swear.”
“Thank you,” Joel whispered. He was not convinced that would happen, but the thought was at the very least, comforting.

Mumbo took a deep breath, “Do you still want me to…?”
Joel helped him fill in the words, “… make sure I can’t tell, yes. It needs to be specific. So there is no way he can just undo it or work around, like with the no talking command.”
“I don’t want to do this.” Mumbo said.
“I know.” Joel replied.

“Under no circumstances can you talk about the true work I, Lord Mumbo Jumbo, do.” Mumbo’s words sent a cold shiver down Joel’s spine. He was sure this time that he could feel the confining magic settling around his skin. Joel let his eyes flutter shut. “Until I personally revoke this command, you will not mention anything about my intended removal of hybrids from this facility or any other. If you must speak of me, you make me out to be unsympathetic or cruel towards you during my time here. You do not mention the liberties I allowed you and you do not say anything that implies you or the other hybrids here were free to do as you wished. The only person who can revoke or counteract these commands is me.”

Mumbo stopped and exhaled. Joel opened his eyes. The man in front of him was shaking, fingers playing anxiously with his sleeves and tears swelling in his eyes. He rocked backwards and forwards slightly as his breathing began to pick up.
Joel gingerly pried Mumbo’s fingers away from the fabric and held his hands tightly.

“Mumbo?” Joel called out softly, “Hey, man, it’s okay. Thank you. Thank you.”
Mumbo looked up at him blearily, “I’m so sorry.” He sobbed, lurching forward into Joel arms and hugging him tightly.

Joel leant into the embrace. He tucked his head in the crook of Mumbo’s shoulder and held on until the other pulled back.
“You’re feeling okay?” Mumbo asked.

Joel nodded, choosing not to mention the throbbing sensation that felt like a tightening band around his throat. What Mumbo didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, after all.

~~~

The next morning, Joel awoke with a sunken pit already formed in his stomach.

Skizz and Beatrice were informed of when somebody would be back to rescue them, but Joel had begged not to be told. Even with Mumbo’s orders thrumming through his veins, he didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks.

Gem, who had shaken him awake, whispered to him hurriedly, “He’s back, Joel, come on.”

Joel let her tug him to the dresser on the other side of the room. Her eyes were wide with apologies as she fastened his leash back to the collar.

“Try and stay safe,” she whispered, before pulling him tightly into a hug. He wasn’t sure how much she knew about his discussion with Mumbo, but he had a feeling that she was in the dark just as much as Skizz was.

Joel offered her a soft smile. He didn’t dare to say anything back. Master was still a few minutes away, but even that proximity was enough to frighten him back into old habits. His silence invoked a sad look in Gem’s eye, so he averted his gaze.

“Come on, then,” she urged.

Joel followed her through the corridors until they reached the entrance hall in which they first met a week ago. Joel noted at Skizz was already behind the bars of the bird cage, shuffling things around to make it look like he’d been there frequently in the past week. Beatrice was nowhere to be seen, but Master seemed to prefer it that way, having her working purely behind the scenes.

Absently, Joel found himself wondering if hybrids had to be a certain age before they could be sold. If only he’d thought to ask Skizz before they had run out of time.

Gem looped the end of Joel’s lead through the bird cage bars and fastened it securely. Joel sighed and sank heavily to his knees.

“Joel-“ Gem started, despair evident in her voice.
“Gem,” Mumbo interjected harshly, “Leave it.”

Gem bristled at the command, but Joel silently thanked Mumbo. He needed a second to readjust his mindset, and it would not be a good look for any of them if he were to be openly sobbing when Master arrived.

Skizz too was dampened this morning. Joel could see the energy in his friend if he looked for it. It was obvious in the way Skizz’s eyes darted around, or how he shuffled his wings and rolled his shoulders. Joel just hope Master was too full of himself to think to read into Skizz’s body language too carefully.

The knock on the door came sooner than any of them would have liked it too. Everybody stiffened, Joel, Skizz and Gem in a subordinate, nervous way, and Mumbo in a feigned sense of superiority.

Joel did not look up when the door opened. He could hear faint muffles of talking before the door closed again. As Gem and Mumbo left the estate, they took his final hopes and wishes with them.

Joel’s heart rate sped up with each footstep that approached him. It took more self-control that he would have liked to keep still as Master’s hand found its way to Joel’s hair. Instead, he flicked his ears and forced his tail to sway a little at the contact.

“Hello, puppy,” Master cooed, “Did you miss me?”

Master trailed a hand down Joel’s face and neck until his fingers reached Joel’s collar. Master thumbed the metal as if it brought comfort to him.

“And there is my beautiful Angel, of course,” Master continued. Joel heard Skizz moving behind him and was relieved when Master moved away from the door to the birdcage.

With Master returning, most of Joel’s concerned revolved around the machine. He was confident that Mumbo and his team would be able to extract Skizz from the horrible thing if they were to arrive whilst he was attached up to it, but it would add precious time to the rescue. Also, after seeing Skizz with so much life, Joel wasn’t sure that he would be able to sit quietly and watch as Master drained it straight back out of him.

“Did you have a good time with Lord Mumbo?” Master asked, hand back to petting Joel’s hair.
Joel’s eyes widened in fear as he thought back to the conditions of Mumbo’s order. He let out a small whine that he hoped translated as no. Master chuckled.
“Come on, pup,” Master untied his leash and tugged Joel to his feet, “I was travelling all of yesterday, I want to go for a walk.”

Joel obediently trailed after Master until he heard a sharp intake of breath from Skizz. Joel snapped his head up and looked at the open door in front of him.

Self-preservation kicked in and he pulled back on the leash, ears flat to his head in fear of the pain he felt the last time he tried to go outside.

Master seemed irritated by the sudden disobedience. Nonetheless, he just carried on, all but pulling Joel along beside him. Despite the kindness of the past week, Joel was still not as strong as he was when healthy, so his feeble efforts did little to counter the firm tugs forward from Master.

On crossing the door, he felt no pain. His struggles died down.
“Did someone try to get out whilst I was away?” Master cooed at Joel as if he were talking to a small child. Joel’s eyes widened in fear.
“That reaction tells me you were expecting pain. I’ve never taken you out before. If Lord Jumbo had, then it wouldn’t have been escape, it would have been by his order. Hence, you must have tried something.”

Joel was shaking his head. He wasn’t quite sure what he was protesting, but he knew that he wanted no part in what was surely coming his way.

This time when Master pulled him forward, he went pliantly.

On their return to the house, Joel made eye contact with Skizz. He was pressed up close to the bars and his eyes were roaming over Joel, supposedly searching for injuries. Joel smiled softly and shook his head. Nothing had happened. Not yet, at least.

Joel felt Skizz watching him as he followed Master up the stairs and out of sight.
His heart was hammering, and he wiped his palms of his hands against his trousers to try and calm himself.

They only stopped once they had reached Master’s room. Master turned towards him, “Now, pup, you know that misbehaviour needs correcting.”

Joel nodded mutely.

Master slid open his large window and gestured to something beyond.
“Get in.” He ordered.

Joel’s feet were moving without his consent. He wondered whether after a week of no commands the curse just felt stronger, or if it actually had strengthened. He really hope it was the former.

Joel slipped out of the window, shivering at the slight chill that had settled in the air.

“In.” Master repeated. Joel looked around. The air froze in his lungs when he saw it. There on the balcony sat a rather innocent looking dog kennel. It looked as if he would fit, barely, if he knelt down low and tucked his arms and tail in. There wouldn’t be much room. It wouldn’t be comfortable.

Either way, Joel couldn’t disobey the command. Master watched smugly as he knelt and crawled in. The end of his leash was clipped to a ring on the outside and Master clicked closed a barred door that Joel had previously failed to notice.

Joel looked up at him through the gaps in the door.

“Sleep tight, puppy.” Master said coldly, before turning on his heel.

The window closed. The curtains were drawn. Joel shivered.

Chapter Text

The sun spread a warmth through the air as it set. The air around him danced around with the soft breeze, causing the long grasses of the meadow to sway. Joel closed his eyes and lay back in the grass, wriggling around to move away from the strands that tickled at his neck. Bird song graced the air, only broken up by the rustle of the wind through leaves and the trickling of the nearby brook.

When Joel awoke to bird song, the bliss of his dream momentarily lingered over him. It was only when he went to sit up and smacked his head into the wooden walls encasing him that the beautiful illusion was broken.

He should have expected the panic really. In the far background of his mind, he knew that the panic was an instinctive human self-preservation tactic, but the rest of him was failing to listen.
The more he tried to move and found he couldn’t, the faster his breaths got and the smaller his lungs felt. He panicked for what felt like an eternity before his strength was lost and he was reduced to nothing more than a quivering mass curled up on himself.

“Oh, shit.”
Joel barley even jerked at the voice. He didn’t even have the mental energy to be startled.

“Fuck, oh Joel.”
The sound of his name invoked a small reaction. He felt his ears perk up in recognition, and he blearily blinked open his eyes. At the sight of nothing more than his limbs cramped up he quickly screwed them shut again with a high-pitched whine.

He didn’t register the door to the kennel opening. By the time he came back to himself, he recognised the comforting feeling of a hand combing through his hair.

“Come on, buddy,” Skizz muttered to him, “You’ve got to breathe, Joel, breathe, please.”
Joel managed a low grunt in response.

“I’m going to fucking kill him, I swear,” Joel, in his scrambled state, found himself whimpering at Skizz’s deadly tone, trying to shy away from the anger only finding that he had nowhere to go.

“It’s okay, you’re okay. I’m sorry, buddy. Sorry, sorry,” Skizz’s hand resumed its gentle petting through Joel’s hair. Skizz kept muttering reassurances as Joel felt his muscles slowly relaxing and his heart slowing from its punishing and thundering pace.

By the time he was calm, he didn’t even possess the energy to be embarrassed as Skizz coaxed him out of the kennel and supported him as he staggered on his feet. Tears slipped down his cheeks as the blood painfully rushed back to his legs after being cramped up all night.

Skizz never slowed his encouragements and soft praises.

~~~

As the next week progressed at a snail slow pace, Joel’s panic upon waking subdued. Instead, he awoke and instantly started running gentle reassurances through his mind. If he heard them in Skizz’s voice, then that was neither here nor there.

The week hadn’t been kind to Skizz, either. He grew paler and paler by the day and an almost undetectable tremor had settled in his hands. Fresh track marks blemished his skin, settling between the freckles and scars. The old drawn look had returned to his eyes.

Joel had not seen Beatrice but all he could do was hope that she was as safe as she could be.

~~~

Two weeks after Mumbo and Gem left, there was a loud, aggressive knocking on the door. Master was eating lunch, Joel knelt by his side under the table, occasionally accepting bites of food with his teeth as offered by Master.

The knock clearly took Master by surprise. The way he jumped slightly sent Joel’s heart hammering. As time stretched on and on, Joel had felt his anxiety growing and growing as he waited for any sign of Mumbo’s return. He had not allowed himself to lose faith in the human, but with each passing day he wished more and more that it could just be done with. He felt rather like he was counting down the days to attending his own funeral.

The knock sounded again. Out of the corner of his eye, Joel saw Beatrice scurrying to answer it.
Once she opened the door, Joel assumed she was being shoved aside if the sudden flurry of movement was anything to go by. Master jerked up to his feet, sending his chair clattering to the floor behind him. Joel flinched back as far as he could under the table.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Master bellowed. Joel shivered.
“We have a warrant to search this property.” Joel peered between the table legs. The figure stood in the doorway met his eyes briefly. Her eyes burned with a fiery rage. Her blonde hair shone in the midday sun, and she stood tall. She looked strong and powerful, but for some reason Joel did not find her intimidating. Once glance towards Master and Joel was sure that he did not share that sentiment.

“What for?” Master spat, his knuckles white as his hands clenched into fists. Joel watched, trying to figure out if the tremor in Master’s face was anger or fear.

The woman said nothing, just storming forward and thrusting a sheet of paper in his face. Joel relished in the way Master flinched slightly at the action.

Gingerly, Master took the paper and scanned over it.
“This is preposterous,” he roared, “My products are first class because they are the best in the field. This is nothing but a jealous competitor trying to dirty my name.”
“That may be, Sir,” The woman said, eyes narrowing. Her voice was firm but carefully neutral, “All the same, we must search the property. Formalities, you see.”
“By all means,” came Master’s cold reply.

The woman spun on her heal and her team followed her. Master turned back to Joel. Joel dampened the smile on his lips as he watched Beatrice be guided out of the house by a slender man with white hair.
“Something funny, mutt?” Master sneered. Joel shook his head. Aggravating Master further was definitely not a good idea.
“Get up.” Master snapped. Joel was propelled to his feet. He shook the fuzz of the command from his head, ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach that grew each time the curse further dug its claws into his throat.

Master snatched up the end of Joel’s leash and pulled him along as he marched towards the back of the mansion. Master led them through the corridors and out to the gravelled yard at the side of the mansion that led to the stables.

“Keep up,” Master barked, “Stay close and don’t you dare try to get away.”

Joel could to nothing but swallow his fear as Master unclasped the leash from his collar and shoved it in a saddlebag.
“Tack up my fastest horse,” Master ordered.

Joel scrambled to obey. The horse was a stunning chestnut mare. She nuzzled her nose into Joel’s hair as his hands fumbled with the buckles of the saddle. He brushed his fingers over her side, taking as much comfort as he could in the horse’s steady breathing.

Master snatched the reins from Joel’s hand as soon as the horse was ready and swung himself up.
“You better run like the fucking wind,” Master snapped before giving the mare a kick, sending her flying down the drive. Joel ran after him. He ran like the fucking wind.

As they ran, Joel tried to focus on nothing but the burn of the air in his lungs and the adrenaline coursing through his veins. How many times in the past however-many-months had he longed to be able to run like this. Well, not exactly in a situation like this, but still the sentiment remained.

Master was cursing under his breath as he urged the horse faster and faster. Spit flew from the horse’s mouth as she was pushed to her limits. Joel’s muscles ached from the sudden activity, and he was sure the horse was feeling the same.

Hysterically, he found himself feeling rather like a hunting hound, leaping over rocks and twigs as he ran close to thundering hooves. Master carried a riding crop and Joel winced every time it hit the side of the horse, trying desperately not to imagine the feeling of it against his own skin.

~~~

Joel’s whole body was a burning mess of pain when Master finally pulled them to slow to a walk. If it weren’t for the tug of the collar tying him to Master’s former command and forcing his focus, Joel was sure he wouldn’t have been able to tell up from down. He sure as hell didn’t have the capacity for anything but panting heavily as he stuck to the heels of his Master.

“-can I crash at yours?” Master was asking. Joel wearily blinked up at him, wondering who he was talking to.
Master listened carefully. Joel heard nothing but the staticy buzz of a communicator.
“I just have a horse and a dog.” Master was saying.
“No, they fucking stormed in with no notice.” Master yelled, “I just had to get out of there before they found the Angel’s fucking blood everywhere.”
“Are you stupid?” Master was growing angry, “Of course I didn’t list fucking blood as an ingredient in my fucking pharmaceuticals.”

Master listened to the buzz for a while before he hung up. He steered the horse left and urged her faster once more. There was nothing Joel could do but continue to suffer as he picked up his pace to stick close to Master’s side.

~~~

The sun was low in the sky when they reached large metal gates. The soles of Joel’s feet stung painfully with every step and his mind felt fuzzy from being pushed to such exertion after months of inadequate nutrition and exercise.

The gates were opened upon their arrival by a short, stout man. He may or may not have been a hybrid, Joel was past the point of noticing or caring. He did however catch the alarm in the man’s expression when he caught sight of Joel.

He must have looked a mess. His shirt was stuck to his skin by sweat. Likewise, his hair felt wet and itchy on his head. He was sure that his feet were bleeding judging by the slippery feeling of the floor given the fact it hadn’t rained in days. And on top of all of that, the cuffs on his wrists and his collar still shone brightly as if they had never encountered a speck of dirt in their lifetime.

Not before digging his leash out of the saddlebag, Master handed his horse off to a teen girl who hovered off to the side of the driveway. As soon as Master was dismounted, she was leading the horse away to the stable. Joel was sure he saw her whispering softly to the mare, gently stroking her sweat covered neck.

Master went to clip Joel’s leash to his collar, but reared back after seeing the state he was in. Master’s lip curled into an expression of clear disgust before he turned back to the man who was closing the gate behind them.

“Do you have someone who can clean my dog?” Master asked.
Joel wished he cared at the degrading language, but he couldn’t help the spark of intrigue at the question. A bath sounded heavenly.

“Certainly, Sir,” The man bowed, “I can take him and bring him back to you when he is respectable.”
“That would be excellent.” Master handed the man Joel’s leash, “Where can I find Isaac?”
“He will be in the dining room, Sir. I believe he is waiting your arrival.”

Master left without so much as a thank you. Joel watched the man now in charge of him cautiously. The man held the leash awkwardly and made no move towards him. Eventually, he sighed and draped it over his shoulder.

“Of course Kondo fucking Burtley couldn’t just have a normal dog like a normal person.” The man muttered, clearly not intending for Joel to hear.

The man turned to Joel, offering him a hand to shake, “My name is Lenny, I work for Isaac Burtley as you no doubt know. What’s your name?”

In a confused daze, Joel shook the man’s hand. He opened his mouth to reply but shut it again quickly at the stab of pain that accompanied the first noise that left his lips.
Lenny looked at him curiously before realisation dawned upon his features.

“Fucking hell, man.” He whispered, raising a hand to rub at his own forehead. Joel flinched violently at the action. Lenny looked horrified.
“Come on,” he said softly, “get on my back, I’ll take you to the baths and you are not walking another step on those feet.”

Even if he wanted to, Joel could not refuse as Lenny hauled him up onto his back with a concerning amount of ease.
“Gods, you’re light,” Lenny muttered, “Did the bastard not even feed you?”
Joel just sighed into the crook of Lenny’s neck. His brain was still scrambled, and although he knew what was going on, it didn’t mean that he understood what was going on.

He must have dozed off, because suddenly he was jerking awake at the feeling of being submerged into warm water. He panicked, flailing against the arms holding him.
“Hey, woah, easy,” A greying woman’s face appeared as he blinked his vision back into focus, “It’s okay, I’m just washing you. You were exhausted you poor thing, Lenny brought you in a half hour ago and I just couldn’t bear to wake you after what he told me.”

Joel blinked at her owlishly.
“I’m Anna,” she introduced softly, kindly.

Anna massaged shampoo into his hair the fur of his ears. It was so gentle and reminded Joel of childhood. Tears were silently running down his face before he even registered it. That seemed to be happening rather a lot recently.

Anna said nothing, just wiped them away with a motherly care that only encouraged more tears.

“You know, I’ve never met a hybrid before,” Anna told him. Joel tilted his head to the side, a small, confused frown on his face.
Anna giggled and scratched behind his ear in a way that had him melting into her touch.

“The village I’m from was very small,” she explained, “and when I left, it wasn’t long before I found this estate and I’ve been working here ever since.”
“Isaac isn’t like his brother,” she continued, “he is a kind man and fair to his staff. He’s always turned a blind eye to Kondo’s activities, but he doesn’t agree with animal abuse.”
Joel stiffened at his situation being lumped under the term of animal abuse. More tears gathered in his eyes at his inability to defend himself. Anna was clearly a lovely woman, but it was clear that the only knowledge she had on hybrids was from the brother of Master. And if Master was the way he was, Joel found it hard to believe that his brother wouldn’t share at least some of the same views.

It wasn’t long before Anna was helping him out of the tub and wrapping him in a fluffy towel. She tutted at the state of his feet, before settling him into a chair and propping his heels up on a pouffe.

“This may sting,” she warned.
From a shelf above his head, she retrieved a bottle containing a very familiar golden liquid. Joel couldn’t help the horrified whine he let out as he shied away from the mixture that he was fairly certain contained Skizz’s unwilling blood.
“It’s just a salve,” Anna comforted him, misunderstanding his trepidation, “One of Kondo’s I believe. They work better than any health pot I’ve bought. You’ll be okay, trust me.”

There was little Joel could do as she held him still as he struggled weakly. He sobbed as he rubbed the mixture to his shredded feet before tipping the rest of it down his throat.
His body glowed with a regenerative warmth as he felt his bloodied and bruised skin knit itself back together. The fog in his head cleared and Joel found himself mourning the way it had clouded his fear.

“There, there,” Anna muttered, resuming her petting of his hair, “Isn’t that better?”
Joel was saved from having to respond by Lenny, who swung open the door.
“His clothes are ready.” Lenny said, eyes softening when he saw Joel awake, “Hey, buddy, everything okay?”

Joel just shrugged helplessly. Lenny smiled sympathetically and handed him a pile of clothes rather like what he had arrived in. The shirt was clearly the same one, just freshly laundered. The trousers were different though, instead replaced with a cuffed pair of drainpipe jeans.
“Yours were wrecked,” Lenny explained, “plus, I thought you might appreciate something a little… sturdier.”
Joel smiled softly and hoped Lenny understood his gratitude.

That gratitude did not carry forward as Lenny attached his leash and led him back to Master. It didn’t seem like the staff here were forced into servitude or kept out of their will, so Joel was quick to accept the blooming bitterness in his chest as Lenny dragged him through the halls. Once again, he hadn’t been offered shoes and despite the skin being healed, each step sent shockwaves of pain up his legs.
“I’m sorry,” Lenny muttered for what felt like the thousandth time. Joel snarled under his breath. Lenny ignored him.

Much sooner than he would have liked, Joel was presented back to Master.

Master was casually sat on the sofa next to another man that was very clearly related to him. His brother, Isaac, Joel recalled, looked a little wary as he took in Joel, but just as Anna said, he did nothing more than clear his throat before adverting his gaze.

Master laughed, “Come on, brother, I know what you think of them, but hybrids aren’t half bad.”
“When you said you had a dog with you, I thought you meant and actual dog, Kondo.”
“But there’s the beauty of it,” Master replied, “He’s so much better.”

Joel looked down at his feet and tried to repress the shiver that travelled down his spine.
“Come, puppy,” Master called in a tone that all but dared Joel to disobey, “Kneel.”
Joel padded over the remaining few paces between him and Master before sinking to his knees at Master’s feet. Joel kept his gaze fixed downwards.

“What’s his name?” Isaac asked.
Master laughed again. It was a taunting laugh that made Joel’s cheeks flush in embarrassment. Master’s fingers curled into Joel’s hair in a possessive manner.
“I tend to call him Pup.” Master said.
“Imaginative,” Isaac replied sarcastically, “No, Kondo, I meant what is his actual name?”
The mirth left Master in seconds. Joel tensed. “He has no name, Isaac. He is lesser than an animal, you hear me. He’s mine and that is all that matters.”

“What the fuck happened to you?” Isaac snapped.

Master’s hand left his hair and Joel sighed a breath of relief.
“You don’t get it,” Master replied, “Let me show you. Let me show you how stupidly humanised hybrids are by the protestors. You’ll see. They need to be owned, Isaac, they need us.”
Isaac laughed lightly, “I’ll listen, Kondo, but I’m making no promises. Tomorrow, though. I’m off to bed.”
“Night.” Master replied, watching his brother until the door swung shut behind him.

Fingers under his chin guided Joel to look up at Master.
“You look so much better.” Master said softly, brushing hair out of Joel’s eyes, “We’ll need to dye your hair again soon.”
Joel just stared back impassively.

“Isaac gave me something for you.” Master said, “He uses it for his hunting eagles.”
That was worrying.

Joel watched as Master reached into his pocket and drew out a small bag. Fear clawed at his chest.
Master pulled out a strange looking needle.

“He had it enchanted,” Master explained. Joel shuffled backwards as the thing glinted in the light.
“Stay still,” Master spat. Joel’s muscles locked.
The panic must have still shown in his eyes as Master looked at him and chuckled.

“It’s just a microchip,” Master said as if it were a calming admission, “Enchanted so that no matter where you are I can find you. No range, no way to be damaged. Anyone who finds you will be able to get you back to me.” The threat was not lost on Joel. He swallowed and looked up at Master, pleading with his eyes the best he could.
Master gently stroked a thumb against the side of Joel’s face before leaning down and planting a kiss on the top of his head, “So I can keep you nice and safe.”

Master pushed the needle into the nape of Joel’s neck, just above where his collar sat. It stung, bringing tears to Joel’s eyes which Master wiped away.

“You did so good,” Master praised him, “Good job, puppy, good puppy. There’s a good boy.”

If Joel was able to move he would have probably been sick.

Chapter Text

That night, he slept curled up at the foot of Master’s bed. Just as at home- no, at the mansion, Master had securely fastened his leash to the bedpost.

As usual, Joel woke before Master. As quietly as he could, he shifted so that he could stretch out the painful aches in his muscles. His head ached and he felt slightly disjointed from his body, as if the stuffiness that was causing the pounding in his skull was pushing his centre of consciousness out of his body.

When shuffling came from the bed, Joel groaned mentally and pulled his unwilling limbs into a stoic kneeling position. Master yawned and stretched before heaving himself out of bed and out of the room.

Joel was only alone for a minute or two before Master returned. There was the rustling of fabric as Master dressed, but soon there was a familiar hand petting through his hair. The second Joel allowed himself to relax, the hand pulled back on his hair sharply so that he was looking up at Master. The collar dug painfully into the back of his neck. The smarting pain reminded him brutally of the newest layer of ownership that Master had cemented over him.

“You behave perfectly today, alright?” Master said sternly, “If you do a single thing to embarrass me, I will make you regret it. Do you understand me?”
Joel nodded as frantically as the strong hand buried in his hair allowed him. The motions made his vision swim more that it already was.
“Good.” Master let go of him and his head dropped heavily forward.

He was pulled to his feet more harshly than usual, and Master yanked him forward giving him no time to adjust to standing. Joel stumbled forward, crashing into Master’s chest. Master pushed him back and the back of Joel’s head crashed into the bedpost.
“What did I just say?” Master snapped.

Joel made no effort to show he heard. Instead, he breathed heavily, clutching the bedpost and willing his diaphragm to chill as it threatened to push up the meagre amount of food in his stomach.

“Fucking look at me,” Master demanded. Joel sobbed as his head snapped over to Master.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Master muttered, reaching forward and pulling Joel towards him by his hair.

“I lost my Angel,” Master hissed, “I lost my Demon years ago, and made sure never to lose my Angel. I sealed his cuffs, you know. Poured melted metal straight into the keyhole so he would never get away. I paid a pretty, pretty penny for this,” Master yanked on Joel’s collar, “so that I wouldn’t lose you. And yet you are so determined to make life difficult for me. You should be thanking me.”

Joel could barely keep up. Master’s rising voice gradually making his head ring more and more.

“You are mine,” Master hissed, “You understand? Mine and mine alone. I lost everything but you and you better show me that you were fucking worth it.”

Joel wasn’t sure that he could ever be what Master wanted. He wasn’t even sure that he entirely knew what Master wanted.

Master sighed, “Maybe you weren’t fucking worth it.”

Joel’s eyes snapped up to meet Master’s in a panic. If Master didn’t want him, then what would happen to him. Master was a devil, but Joel was a firm believer in better the devil you know. He saw the scars on Skizz, heard the horror stories of hybrids in captivity. He knew that Master was awful, but so was everyone else in this goddamn trade.

“You were so full of fight,” Master said fondly, as if reminiscing about years gone by, “I thought it would be so fun to break you, to stamp that out of you. And it was. Oh, my sweet little puppy, it was so beautiful to put that spark out. But I just wish I had done it the long way. I wish I had put this on you after I had ground you down. I wish you did what I said out of pure fear, not because some collar makes you.”

Joel blinked. He wished he could scream at Master. Wished he could cry and shout and wrap his hands around the man’s throat- No. No. Joel inhaled slowly. Master had ruined his life. Joel was fucking terrified of Master and not just because of the collar. But Joel did not want to be the animal that Master saw him as.

“But,” Master continued, “You’re just so cute, aren’t you, puppy.”

Joel felt hot, angry tears roll down his cheeks. As if pushing him to his physical limits wasn’t enough, Master was now putting him through the emotional wringer too.

“You look so beautiful when you cry.” Master wiped Joel’s tears with his thumb and then smeared them over Joel’s bottom lip. He could taste the salt and instinctively licked the tears away. Master smiled. The bastard looked proud.

“I never thought myself to be the sentimental type,” Master said, “But seeing you under anyone else’s thumb is enough to make me-“ Master cut himself off with a heavy exhale that had Joel flinching.

“But no matter,” Master’s hand clutched possessively at the back of Joel’s neck, “You’re mine.” His thumb tracked over the sore spot from the needle yesterday, “You’re mine now and I can’t lose you like I lost the others.”

Joel knew that he was crying again, and he hated how Master looked happier and happier the more wrecked he was.

“There’s those gorgeous, broken eyes,” Master praised. A strange look passed over Master’s face. Instinctively, Joel tried to shy away. Master growled and Joel froze in response.

And then, he was pulled forward into big strong arms. Master wrapped himself around Joel, tucking Joel’s head into the crook between his shoulder and neck. Master ran a hand through his hair, the other wrapping tightly around his waist.

Master shushed him, whispering gentle comforts and praises.

“Relax, puppy, I’ve got you.” He whispered. Joel’s muscles involuntarily loosened, sinking into Master’s hold. “Good boy,” Master praised.

The hug was warm. Master made no move to hurt him or command him. He just hugged Joel tight, petting his hair and pressing soft kisses to his temple. Joel soon found himself sobbing into Master’s shoulder, his hands forming fists in the fabric of Master’s shirt. His tail was wrapped around his leg, but the tip flicked occasionally in a way that in only had once before when the woman he considered a grandmother passed away.

“That’s it, puppy,” Master eased, “Good boy, let it out, I have you. You’re mine.”

Joel made an odd humming noise in his throat. His eyelids grew heavy and the last thing he remembered thinking before the darkness took over him was a soft broken relief that Master would look after him.

~~~

When Joel awoke the next morning, his wrists were bare. Sitting up in alarm, he hit his head heavily against what felt like a caged wall. Lifting a hand tentatively to his throat, he all but sobbed with joy when he felt the heavy presence of the collar missing.

“And that’s twenty thousand now, plus the price of the surgery later?” A voice was asking. Wait, Joel knew that voice. That was Master.

Someone responded. Joel didn’t make out the words.

“Can I say goodbye?” Master was asking.

Master’s face appeared between the bars of his cage. Joel had a very sudden déjà vu to the first time he saw Master all those months ago. Except, this time, when Master reached through the bars, Joel leaned into his touch, rather than snapping at the intruding hand.

“It’s not for long, okay, puppy,” Master cooed, “You’re sick and they need to take you to the veterinarian, okay?”

Joel just blinked.

“I know it’s confusing,” Master said in a sickeningly sweet tone, “I know it’s scary. But I’ll keep your collar safe for you and when you’re all better you can have it back. You don’t need it to know you’re mine though, right? You’re a good boy, you know that you belong to me, don’t you?”

Head still throbbing with sickness, Joel just nodded blearily. Master looked like he had just won the lottery several times over.

“Okay, take him.” Master spat out.
“You’re making the right decision,” Another male voice said.
“Shut the fuck up, Isaac.” Master snapped.

“We’ll send you updates on him, Sir.” A voice says from above him, and then his whole world is moving and swaying as the cage is jostled up and away. Joel’s stomach turned and his vision blacked out before he found out if he threw up or not.

~~~

Joel didn’t remember much of being away. It came and went in flashes of heat and cold and pain and sickness. He’s aware of the alien thrum of some drug being pumped into his veins and only distantly finds himself alarmed that he doesn’t know what it is. Seeing as it all but knocks him out for the next twenty-hours, he’d but his bets on a rather heavy-duty pain killer.

By the time his fever broke, he had no idea how much time had passed since he left Master. He had no idea where he was, or who had him. He didn’t know what they were planning on doing with him.

He remembered Master speaking to him before he was taken, but try as he might, Joel couldn’t remember what he was saying. But every time he was fed, or bathed, or someone took him outside, he was immensely grateful that they got him away. Several times he tried to ask for Skizz, or Gem, or Beatrice, but the words always caught in his throat, coming out in nothing but scrambled whines and coughs.

It didn’t feel like long before Joel was once again being jostled around in the small cage. He was no long burning up, and the pain had settled, however the fog in his brain had remained. In his most coherent moments, he suspected that it had something to do with the injections that were routinely pumped into him.

Given the cards he’d been dealt over the past few months, Joel welcomed the break from his own mind, sinking gratefully into the haze where fear and pain were nothing but strangers.

~~~

“Kondo isn’t here anymore.” Joel awoke at the sharp tone.
“He paid for delivery of his hybrid upon recovery.”
“Well unless you want to deliver it to his jail cell, then I can’t help you. I’d be more than happy to give you the address.”
“I am sorry Sir, but the delivery is to this address, not a person.”

There was a loud sigh, and then Joel was being hauled up to his feet. He staggered and a slender hand wrapped tightly around his upper arm to steady him. The grip was bruising, and Joel weakly attempted to tug away.

A door closed behind him, and the hand let go. Out of pure habit that Joel didn’t even realise was ingrained into him, he sunk to his knees.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with you?” The question was clearly rhetorical. Joel looked up. The face of Master’s brother stared down at him. Joel hated himself for the way his tail wagged at the familiarity.

“Lenny!” Master’s brother yelled. Joel jumped at the sudden loud volume.
“Yes, Sir?” Joel didn’t move to look at Lenny, keeping his gaze focused on Master’s brother – Isaac he recalled. Master liked it when Joel focused on him alone, maybe his brother would be the same.

Joel tried to relax as Isaac gripped his chin in a firm grip, manipulating his head side to side.

“Can you take him South-West?” Isaac asked, “He’s pretty, but Kondo said he has a bite to him. I think he could fetch a good price down there. Maybe I can use the money to get a real dog.”
“Of course, Sir.” Lenny responded, reaching out and pulling Joel away.

Chapter Text

His eyelids were heavy and unresponsive as he groggily regained consciousness. Joel groaned. It felt like just by waking up he was fighting against his own body. There was a part of him that longed to just give in to the darkness and fall back unconscious, but there was also a stronger part that refused to create his own metaphorical restraints to replace the ones which he had just been released from.

With a deep breath, Joel opened his eyes and pushed himself up off floor. He was in a dark room. The only light coming through was from a horizontal barred window at the top of the wall, which caused long winding shadows along the room.

As he sat up, Joel’s head spun and he leant heavily on his forearms, taking in deep breaths. He tried to recall what had happened leading up to his being here, but everything was foggy. Vaguely, he remembered being aware of time passing since he had been taken from the house of Master’s brother, but other than the closeness of claustrophobia and bumpiness of travel, he couldn’t recall any specifics of that time.

Joel blinked a few times to try and banish his drowsiness. It didn’t really do much other than make him feel a little bit sick.

Very, very slowly, Joel pushed himself up to a sitting position. Pushing his luck by attempting to stand would probably just end up with him crashing right back to the ground, and that would not result in a productive outcome.

‘Room’ was an overly generous word for what he was looking at. It felt more like a hollowed-out foundation or rock. If it were not for the cut floor and walls, Joel probably would have thought that that was what it was.

It took examining all four walls several times for Joel to spot the door. It was a heavy, dark wood with a small, barred window in the top half. A shadow was cast onto it by the bars of the window, and the colour blended with the cold rock of the walls. It didn’t help that the hints of moss on the stone walls had spread into the cracks in the wooden doorframe.

There was no sign of life around him. Not the movement of anything but the gentle flickering of light, and no noises apart from the panting of his own breaths. It was surreal. For several long minutes, Joel sat, breathing, feeling at a loss for what to do.

For the first time since being taken from the world hub, there was nothing physically restraining him. There were no chains and no collars or manacles weighing on his skin.

And yet, his limbs were still tethered. The remnants of his illness had left him weak and drained. Joel shuffled the best he could to the side of the room and leant against the wall heavily. Just that small exertion of energy had left his muscles shaking and his chest heaving. Beads of sweat poked at his hairline, and Joel wiped them away with clumsy frustration.

Part of him wanted whoever was keeping him here to show themselves. At least then he would have someone other than himself and his feverish body to direct his anger at.

~~~

No one came. Joel hadn’t heard as much as footsteps. He had no way to measure the passage of time other than the way his body grew tired, and his stomach growled louder and louder. As his fever cleared, Joel’s vision stopped swimming with each movement, and his limbs felt weak from lack of food, but they lost the heaviness that had accompanied his sickness.

Shakily, he pushed himself up to his feet and staggered along the wall to the door, keeping one hand against the stone to support his wobbling balance.

He peered through the small, barred window in the doorway. He caught a glimpse of a corridor before there was a flicker of red and the clicking of a redstone circuit.

Alarmed, Joel stumbled back from the door. The red light continued to flicker. The noise continued. He wasn’t sure if it was his growing anxiety or if it were actually happening, but the clicking sounded like it was growing louder and louder with each passing second.

Eventually, footsteps thundered towards him. Joel found himself cursing the past version of him that wished for his captors to appear.

The door swung open quickly, slamming against the stone wall and then shuddering back, screeching on its hinges.

“Well, would you look who’s up.”

Joel stared at the person in front of him. The man was short and bald. His shoulders were set wide, and he looked to be heavy. For one, he was extremely overweight, but additionally, solid muscles rippled over him.
Joel shied back further, stumbling away from the man.

“You really do look like a sickly little thing, don’t ya?”
“W-who are you?” Joel asked, voice catching and scraping from lack of use for so long. His throat burned and Joel coughed. It sounded more like an engine sputtering.

The man hummed low in his chest and completely ignored him.
“I thought you were told not to talk?” The question was phrased innocently, but the threat in the tone was not lost on Joel. Nervously, he worried his lip between his teeth.

Silence stretched on for several moments. Joel didn’t dare take his eyes off of the human, who he tracked like how prey would watch a predator.
“Good.” The man huffed. “Follow me.”

Joel held back for a moment, wanting to take advantage of his newfound autonomy as much as he could. When a burning itch spread across his chest, he stuttered forward. The itch calmed. Joel just breathed, his eyes wide.

“Oh,” The man said, a false sense of pity in his voice, “You thought that demonic runes could be confined to just a metal collar?”
Joel blinked, looking up and meeting his eyes.

“That’s right,” The man lifted Joel’s chin, looking at his throat and running a finger over the ring of bruises that still marked his skin, “I know all about your little curse,”

Joel’s heart sunk. It was almost amusing, he thought bitterly. Of course it could never be so simple for him. Breaking free of the clutches of a greedy man would never be as easy as the removal of gifted jewellery.

“Come on then,” The man repeated, turning around and walking away. Joel’s face flushed in humiliation at how he trailed behind. It felt like he was walking himself to his own execution. For all the time Master kept him chained and collared, at least it didn’t feel like he was acting of his own volition.

He was led through a maze of winding corridors. The stone walls stayed slightly damp and radiated a cold temperature. Noise didn’t echo through the hallways as Joel would have expected. Each step they took was dampened immediately, and even with his enhanced hearing from his canine features, Joel could only hear the breaths of the man in front of him when he strained his ears.

They stopped in front of a complicated looking door. The man flicked a level and stone slid aside to reveal another caved out room. This time metal bars were situated just past the door. Behind the metal bars were a bunch of hybrids. None of them looked well.
They were all covered in dirt, some in blood. Joel noticed one who was particularly concerning; it was clear they some kind of feline hybrid, but their tail was brutally docked, and a chunk of their ear was missing in a half-moon shape that Joel tried desperately to convince himself wasn’t a bite mark.

Subconsciously, Joel tucked his tail in close to his leg and flattened his ears to his head where they buried into his hair.

The man pulled open the iron door in the bars and forcefully shoved Joel inside. With his balance still shaky, Joel fell hard to his knees. The impact shot through his bones.

The hybrids didn’t move until the human had left, flicking the rock door back into place.

Joel didn’t move. He stayed on his knees, looking down at the floor, trying to ignore the rapid, punishing pace of his heart in his chest.

A large hand landed roughly on his shoulder. Joel could feel the callouses from wielding weapons against his skin and felt the force of strong muscled fingers. Nervously, Joel swallowed and peered up.

The feline hybrid he had notice before loomed over him. Her eyes were a light amber, a jagged – rather painful looking – scar running through the left one. Judging by the light stripes through the orange hair on what was left of her ears, Joel figured she was a tiger hybrid.

Roughly, the tiger hybrid dropped down next to him and hung one of her arms around his shoulders, pulling him tightly into her side.

As much as he wanted to panic, hunger and exhaustion won him over and he slumped into the warmth of her side and very slowly let his eyelids slip closed as he drifted to sleep.

Chapter Text

Joel woke slowly. There was something warm and soft encompassing him, and in his semi-conscious state he found himself snuggling in closer. A small shiver wracked through his frame and the warmth tucked tighter around him.

He jerked, alarmed, but a strong force kept him in place.

“You’re okay,” A rough-ish voice said from above him.

Joel looked up. The sight of orange fur brought him right back into the present. He groaned, wishing he could immediately go back to blissful ignorance.

“Come on,” the tiger hybrid coaxed, “Let me introduce you to everyone and we can give you a run down of what goes on here.”
“Do I really want to know?” Joel muttered.
The tiger hybrid laughed bitterly, “Want? No. But if you want to survive then you need to know.”

Joel swallowed the lump in his throat nervously.

The tiger hybrid helped him to his feet and kept him steady with a hand on his shoulder as she showed him around. The list of names rattled at him was long and Joel struggled to pay attention when he was so focused on the dried blood from wounds that each hybrid possessed.
“-and finally,” the tiger hybrid continued, “My name is Tasha.”

Joel nodded mutely.

“Do you have a name?” Tasha prompted.
“Joel.” Joel whispered quietly.
“Nice to meet you, Joel.” Tasha slowly guided him so that the two of them were sat against the wall.

“So, how did you end up here?” Tasha asked. There was no sense of malice or pity in her voice. She asked the question so casually that she might as well have just been asking Joel something simple like what he was having for dinner.
“I- well it’s a long story,” Joel sighed, “but crammed over a kind of short period of time.”
Tasha leant back and cocked an eyebrow at him, “We have plenty of time.”

“Well I was in the world hub-“ Joel started.
“Wait a minute!” A small hybrid interrupted, “You were free?!”

Joel blinked, swivelling his head around to try and find the voice. The hybrid had large ears and a pointed nose. Thinking back to Tasha’s rushed introductions, Joel thought his name might have been Marvin.
“What?”
“You were free?!” Maybe-Marvin repeated. “You haven’t been traded around since you were a kid? Hybrids end up here when they’re worn out or are unwanted. How the hell did you end up here so soon?”

Joel tried not to think too hard on that new nugget of information.
“Lay off, Marley,” Tasha snapped. Ah. So it was Marley, not Marvin.
“It’s okay,” Joel reassured them, the sudden tension in the air making him nervous, “It’s okay.”

He turned back to Marley-not-Marvina, “I was taken and sold. He ended up in prison, I think. I was pretty out of it at the time. And his brother wasn’t a fan of hybrids so sold me off here.”

It sounded so simple. He really wished that it was so simple in reality.

“He ended up in prison?”
Joel looked up and found there was a small gaggle of hybrids surrounding him. He blinked, feeling oddly like a primary school teacher with a bunch of children gathered around for story time.

“Um, yeah,” he stuttered, trying to get back on track. “I, um don’t remember what for really. He wasn’t a nice guy, so I guess it could have been a number of things.” Joel couldn’t help the shiver than went down his spine.

The hybrids around him nodded in understanding.

“My first Master was horrible,” One said.
“My first owner was really sweet but when she died her daughter was really not.” Another added.
“Most humans that I’ve met are pure evil.”

“That’s not true!” Joel blurted out. Suddenly all eyes were on him again. This time he felt much more under pressure. He scrambled to explain, “I just mean, I know nice humans – or knew, I suppose. I was raised by humans who loved me and cared for me. It’s just the only ones we see now are all the same. They believe they’re better that everyone else and that includes the humans who don’t hold on to old prejudices.”

Many pairs of eyes blinked at him. Tasha sighed.
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” she said lightly, nudging her shoulder against Joel’s.

“So,” Joel began, eager to switch the topic, “What exactly happens here?”

All of a sudden, every single pair of eyes was looking away, seeming to have all found something else to focus on.

“That’s all yours, Tash.” Marley declared before darting off to the opposite wall. Most of the other hybrids followed behind him.

“Do you know how to defend yourself?” Tasha asked.
Joel shook his head, suddenly very nervous.

Tasha sighed again, “It’s a wonder you lasted so many years fending for yourself.”
“Hey!” Joel protested.
“What would you do then if something or someone were to threaten you? Or attack you?”
“I would run,” Joel said, “I’m good at running. I’m fast.”
“Running won’t help you here.” Tasha said solemnly.

“What is here?” Joel would love to say that he asked that calmly, but the truth of it was that it was practically begging. He felt like he was pleading Tasha to just rid the plaster off, rid his of his metaphorical blindfold.
“They make us fight. Sometimes each other. Sometimes humans. Sometimes animals and monsters.”

Joel now wished he’d remained in blissful ignorance. Well, maybe blissful wasn’t the right word, but the point remained.

“Oh.” He said.
“I’m sorry,” Tasha offered.

“Is there anyway to contact someone?” Joel asked.
“Are you crazy?” Tasha laughed at him. Actually laughed, “No, of course not. Who would you contact anyway? Your precious little humans?”
Joel bristled, the need to defend his family high, “No, actually, since they are all dead now.”
“Oh,” The mocking smile fell off of Tasha’s face, “Sorry.”
“No, I want to call a Lord.” Joel carried on, ignoring the soft look in her eyes that made him want to cry.

“Excuse me?!”
“A Lord.”

“You?” Tasha’s eyes were blown so wide in surprise that in any other situation it would have been comical. “You? Want to call a Lord? A human Lord? Who are known for being the biggest benefactors and betters in these kinds of fighting rings? Are you feeling okay? Have you lost it?”
Joel smiled softly, “Maybe I have. Either way, would it be possible for me to get word to him?”

“You’re in luck.” Marley re-appeared. Joel jumped. “About a month from now is the annual event held for nobility. All the Lords are invited.”
“That seems awfully convenient.” Joel said dubiously.
“Well, you better not complain about it. We don’t all get so lucky, free boy.” Joel had absolutely no idea if Marley was joking or was genuinely mad.

“Anywaaayyy,” Tasha cut in, “Your Lord will most likely be there. So you just have to survive a month.”
“A month.” Joel parroted, “A month. I can do that. I can do that. Right?”

Tasha looped an arm around his shoulders, “We’ll make sure you do. We are all each other have in this hellhole and we look after our own.”
Joel allowed himself to be comforted by the words.

It was only a month after all. What could really happen in a month?

Chapter Text

It had been a week since Joel had begun counting the days. It had been a week since Tasha told him that Mumbo would be here in a month. Basic maths meant that it was now only three weeks until his rescue. And that was what it would be. Joel was determined to let nothing and no one dull his newfound spark of hope.

It was on day eight that when the humans threw the door open, it was Joel that they were looking for.

He felt the energy of the room shift as everyone noticed the way the bald man’s focus zeroed in on Joel. The hybrids either bristled protectively, eyed him nervously, or adamantly looked anywhere that wasn’t in his general direction.

Joel himself swallowed nervously, pushing himself slowly to his feet so that he balanced in a half crouch.

Tash caught his arm and pulled him close, whispering in his ear. He didn’t catch what she said over the ringing in his ears that was brought by his panic.

“Are you coming, or do we have to come and get you?” The human sneered.
Joel stood shakily, but try as he might, he couldn’t force himself to take a step forward.

“Joel.” Tasha hissed under her breath, her tone clearly a warning. Joel wished that he was in control enough to heed it. Instead, his body was being controlled purely by panic.

The bald man looked at him and then smirked. Joel’s stomach performed a gold medal winning gymnastics routine.
“Come here.” The bald man commanded. The words were icy and cold and punctuated in a way where each syllable made him flinch.

The familiar painful tingling spread through his muscles as they jerked to obey. His steps were clumsy and poorly coordinated. Joel felt like he was taking a backseat in his own body, which seemed to be responding only to things purely outside of his control.

The man caught Joel’s shoulder as soon as he was close enough. The grip was tight and punishing, and Joel struggled to keep his feet under him as the man dragged him off. His body was tilted at an awkward angle and his malnourished body was already pushed to the limits under the weight of a demonic curse.

All in all, there wasn’t much time to concentrate on anything other than keeping up. Joel had absolutely no doubts that if he fell then he would just be dragged to wherever it was that they were taking him.

When the grip on his shoulder loosened, there wasn’t even a second for him to get his bearings before his was tipping forwards, scrambling to catch himself with his hands before he fell face first into the ground.

A metal door loudly swung shut behind him. A crowd cheered.

Joel exhaled and a cloud of sand blew up into his face. He coughed and rubbed at his eyes. He only really succeeded in rubbing more rough sand across his face.

A growl to his right had him snapping back to reality and scrambling away. All around him, sand sprayed through the air. Joel looked up in a panic. He was at the back of a semi-circle shaped arena. The floor was a mixture of browny-red sand and gravel and as he shifted his weight it crunched loudly.

The roar came again. A collective gasp echoed around the arena, but there was no time to acknowledge the crowd seated along the round edge as a large, dark shape barrelled towards him. Hastily, Joel scrambled back out of the way.

The wolf lunged. Its eyes were reddened and teeth snapping threateningly where Joel had been just a second ago. The wolf’s fur was matted, and its ribs were painfully visible, exaggerated by the panting breaths coming from the animal.

Joel backed away slowly. His ears flattened to his head in a desperate plea for peace, his hands extended as if the wolf would sit back and see reason. The wolf followed his retreat, prowling forwards, hackles raised and stance low.

Somewhere behind him, someone yelled something incoherent to Joel. For a moment, he was distracted. It turns out a moment was all that was needed.

Strangely, the pain of the wolf’s jaws around his leg was not the first thing that registered. Instead, he was all too aware of the crushing pressure of teeth against the bone of his shin.
Every instinct told him to run. To squirm away and sprint.
Joel knew that wasn’t an option.

The wolf did not let go of his leg, so Joel froze. The crowd froze with him. The wolf looked up at him, eyes blown wide from adrenaline. Joel’s blood began to stain the fur on the wolf’s face, and Joel had to turn his head away to keep the meagre contents of his stomach inside of him.

Slowly, Joel pulled his leg closer to him, ignoring the flames of pain that licked at his very core. The wolf followed the movement, teeth remaining firmly locked around Joel’s leg.
3. 2. 1.
Joel launched forward, tackling the wolf to the ground. With a sickening sound, the wolf detached from Joel. He screamed as teeth tore through him and again as he landed, jostling the injury. The wolf squirmed under him, kicking up sand and gravel which stung painfully.

It took every ounce of his energy to hold the wolf down, but Joel could feel his reserves draining. With each claw that cut through his skin, his strength waivered and focus clouded. It wasn’t long before he was just failing, attempting to move his heavier and heavier limbs in a way that would push the beast off of him.

The crowd cheered each time the wolf’s claws or teeth dug into him. The crowd booed each time Joel managed to land a hit on the wolf.

It was only silent once he was flat on his back, seeing nothing but stars and feeling nothing but the gravel underneath him and the wolf’s raging breaths against his neck. Joel could hear the grumbling growls of the wolf and he just lifted his chin, letting his head sink back into the ground.

But then, the wolf stopped. It nuzzled against Joel’s hairline and Joel froze. A tongue that was as rough as sandpaper ran across his forehead and into his hair. The wolf continued to lick at his hair. It was only when it reached the crown of his head that Joel recognised the pattern.

The wolf was sniffing at his hair, along the line that his hair usually held a stripe of forest green. Master’s dye was still mostly holding strong, and unless you really studied him – and looked past the dirt and grime – you would see nothing but an average brunet.

Cautiously, Joel opened his eyes. The wolf stared back at him. Once more, it lay its snout on Joel’s forehead. Maybe it was the blood loss, but the contact made strange electrical-like sensations flicker across his skin.

Joel watched, alarmed, as the wolf turned from him, stepping over his body protectively. Humans that Joel didn’t recognise approached them. The wolf growled threateningly at each of them in turn. Joel tried to push himself to his elbows but the wolf gave him a look that had him laying back down.

The world was mad. Maybe Joel was mad. Maybe he had died and this was a strange hell.

Not ten minutes ago, this wolf was tearing him to pieces, and now it was standing over him as he slowly bled out. it was giving him looks. Joel realised he was giggling and his last thought before losing consciousness was that at least none of his friends were there to see him die pathetically in the dirt.

~~~

When he woke, the first thing he was aware of was his crushing disappointment. He had made piece that this would have been his lot in life, and the realisation that he was still alive to suffer really killed that sense of serenity that he had drawn up for himself.

The second thing he was aware of was the pain that screamed across his whole body. His breath stuttered as his nerves screamed and cried in complaint.

“He’s waking up.” A hushed voice murmured from his left. Joel tried to turn his head, but the way his shoulder protested had him aborting the movement pretty much as soon as he attempted to start it.

Joel meant to ask what happened, but his voice barely responded, letting out nothing but a series of mumbles.

“Shhh,” someone calmed him. A tentative hand brushed over his forehead, a trail of fire following it. He must have flinched or something as the hand retreated with a whispered apology.

~~~

The next time he awoke, it was to a gentle hand shaking his shoulder. Blearily, Joel opened his eyes.

“Oh, thank the void,” Tasha slumped back, running a hand over her face.
“Tash?” Joel murmured, blinking the sleep away that lingered heavily behind his eyes.
“Joel,” Tasha responded, “Don’t you ever do that to me again.”
“Sorry?” Joel tried.
Tasha huffed an exasperated laugh.

“What happened?” He asked with a wince.
“I was hoping you would tell me that.” She said.
“There was a wolf.” Joel recalled.

The pain flared again when he tried to move.
“Ow ow ow,” He complained.

“I have this,” Tasha said, “They dropped it off for you a few minutes ago.
Joel peered over. In her hand was a golden, glimmering potion. Joel felt faint when he recognised it, images of Skizz in that horrendous contraption coming to the forefront of his mind.
“It’s just a healing potion,” Tasha soothed, “You’re lucky, I don’t know why, but usually they would waste things like this on us.”

“No.” Joel protested.
“What?” Tasha paused, open potion bottle in her hand lingering between them.
“I can’t- I won’t,” Joel put all of his strength into shuffling away from the potion. Tasha’s eyes softened in something akin to understanding. Joel really doubted that she truly understood his refusal.

“Look, Joel,” Tasha tried softly, “I’m sorry if you’ve had some bad experiences with potions in the past, but I promise you that this one is safe. I won’t hurt you. You need this if you want to survive to see your lord, remember?”
Joel did remember. He still wasn’t sure if it was worth it.

“Joel, I’m sorry, but I have to give this to you.” Tasha did look genuinely sorry, but Joel couldn’t bring himself to care as she pinned him down and poured the liquid down his throat. She clasped her hand over his mouth as he tried to spit it out, and his wide panicked eyes met her guilty-looking ones as she kept her grip firm until he swallowed.

The effects were obvious fairly quickly. It wasn’t long before his cuts stopped bleeding and muscles stopped protesting at every movement. Gingerly, he sat up.
“Better?” Tasha asked nervously.

Joel felt slightly betrayed by her, but friends were hard to come by here when everyone else around would happily sacrifice him to a starved wolf. He smiled tightly and nodded. He looked down at himself. His previously unmarred skin, touched only by a dusting of freckles, now was traced with light winding scars that sat atop red, irritated skin.
“I can’t fight, Tasha.” He admitted quietly.

Tasha sat there for a moment, clearly uncertain how to respond.
Eventually, she quirked her lip up in a slight grin, “Yeah, I gathered that by the almost dying.”
Joel laughed lightly, letting himself slump backwards to the ground.

Three weeks. Just three more weeks until all this would be over.

Chapter Text

“What the hell happened to your hair?” Joel’s head snapped up. Tasha was stood over him. She had won her fight earlier that day easily and had returned with only a couple of scratches worse for wear. Joel had been under the impression that she was sleeping. Clearly, she’d woken.

“Um- what?” He stuttered eloquently.
“Your hair,” Tasha repeated, “How did some of it become green?”

“Oh,” Joel reached up to his hair as if he would be able to feel the change in its colour with his fingers. In all honesty, he had forgotten about the dye that was previously ensuring his whole head of hair was a steady brown, his attention captured by the itching feeling at his scalp from the dirt and dried blood that was slowly building up.
“Oh?” Tasha responded. She looked confused, alarmed, and as much as Joel was loathe to admit, she looked wary. He didn’t want her to be wary of him. But he also knew the truth sounded like an extremely far-fetched lie.

“It was dyed before.” He began, “Master didn’t like the fact it was green.”

Tasha cocked her head, considering her next words. When she sat down beside him, her face was soft and reassuring. Joel had a feeling she was about to say something he wouldn’t like.

“Why do you still call him Master?” She asked.
Joel blinked, “I just told you part of my hair is naturally green, and that is the part you focus on?”
“Yes.” Tasha said bluntly, “Now, stop avoiding my question.”

Joel sighed, “Fine, fine. It was one of the first rules he gave me.” He admitted.
“Well, he’s not here anymore,” Tasha pointed out, “Why do you still follow his rules?”

Joel shifted uncomfortably. So far, he had been able to keep the nature of his curse a secret. Of course, the humans who bought him knew, but the hybrids didn’t, and Joel didn’t want their pity. To be pitied in a place like this would be the final nail in his coffin.

“I – uh.” Joel stuttered, looking up at her pleadingly. Tasha just stayed still and quiet. It was clear that she was just going to wait until he had gathered his thoughts into a comprehensible answer.
“Habit, I guess?” Joel tried, “I got hurt when I disobeyed.” That at least, was no lie.

Tasha narrowed her eyes as if she didn’t quite believe him, but luckily enough she didn’t press the matter further. Instead, her eyes flicked up to his hair.
“So,” She said, “Tell me more about this magical green hair of yours.”

The grip of the command tingled at his throat, and words were leaving his mouth before he even processed her words. He cursed the way he had let his guard drop.
“It’s always been there,” He heard himself say mechanically, “I was searching for my heritage for answers in the world hub but got caught before I found out.”

“Hmmm,” Tasha considered him thoughtfully, “Have you ever met a woodland sprite?”
“No?”
“I met a girl before,” Tasha told him, “She was human, but had these streaks of blue throughout her hair. She was deemed un-human enough to be classified as a hybrid. Her mother was killed trying to protect her, and her father couldn’t do anything as soon as they took her far enough away from his brook. He was a water sprite.”

Joel blinked, trying to process the information.

“She could breathe underwater.” Tasha continued, “And although she claimed she couldn’t talk to them, I definitely saw some strange communication going on between her and a school of fish once.”

Joel didn’t respond. He thought back to the way the wolf stood over him once the red haze had faded from its eyes. He thought to the way it had sniffed his hair and licked at the green in particular.
“Just something to think about,” Tasha said. Joel hummed in response.

“Do-“ Joel paused, unsure if he really wanted to open this particular can of worms. He cleared his throat. “Do you know anything about… No. No, never mind, it’s a stupid question.”
“It’s okay,” Tasha prompted, “Go on.”
“It’s just,” Joel ran a hand through his hair, “I have this really fuzzy memory. I was really ill and Master sent me off the vet.” Joel ignored the look Tasha gave him at the term Master.

“It’s okay,” Tasha repeated, this time sounding a lot more nervous.

“Well, I heard him say something about a surgery, and well I don’t remember a surgery, and it was just a fever so didn’t need a surgery, and basically I just wanted to ask if you’d heard about anything like that happening to people like us?”

Joel took in a deep breath. He didn’t even realise that his rushed explanation had been in one breath but then again any pause at all would probably have had him loosing his nerve.

“Woah, okay.” Tasha paused for a moment, clearly taking it all in, “You really went through it, huh?”
Joel just shrugged. He thought back to Skizz, “It could have definitely been worse.” He said. The ghosts of his memory must have shown on his face if Tasha’s look of knowing had any meaning at all.

“Well,” Tasha began, “I never dealt with the vets myself. But I knew people who’d seen it and they said that people tended to come back different.”
“I didn’t feel different.” Joel protested. Absent mindedly he rubbed at the small scar on his neck that marked the spot where Master had placed his microchip.
“You’re sure the surgery wasn’t medical?” She asked.
“I don’t know.” Joel admitted quietly, “I just have this feeling. And like I said, it could have just been a feverish hallucination.”

Tasha studied him quietly, “I don’t think so.” She said.
“Me either.”

Joel jumped out of his skin.
“Marvin!” Joel squealed.
“It’s Marley,” Marley corrected, voice monotone.

“What human did you say had you?” Marley asked. Joel tried not to think about how he avoided the word ‘Master’.
Joel began to respond but a pinching pain tightened in his throat and cut off his words. He doubled over and let out a pained huff of breath.

“Joel…” Tasha sounded concerned.
“It’s fine,” he said, breathily. “I just, I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Marley and Tasha exchanged a look. Joel ducked his head down to his knees, his heart thundering in his chest.

“Well,” Marley continued somewhat awkwardly, “Either way, I’m assuming he was a rich arsehole?”
Joel nodded.

“Can you remember anything from the vet?” Marley asked. His voice that was previously full of condescension was now soft and apologetic.
“Injections.” Joel muttered, suddenly wishing that he had kept his questions to himself.

“You might not be happy to hear this, but I think I might know what he did to you.”
Joel looked up at Marley who looked incredibly uncomfortable.

“Well, when I was at the vet there was this other guy. They did a couple surgeries on him – if you could even call them that. It was horrific, really.” Marely’s eyes took a far off, cloudy look, “They did something to his nervous system, I heard the humans talking about it. His owner had some kind of device that would activate whatever the vets did to him.”

Tasha looked like she wanted to be sick, “What the- why?!”
Marley shrugged, “The guy wasn’t scared enough. His owner wanted a way to keep him in line.”

Joel thought back to all that Master had said to him before sending him off to the vet. He swallowed nervously, “Did you hear the name of the guy?”
Marley shook his head, “Not the hybrid, but the human’s name was Burtley or something like that.”
“Oh.” Joel felt the blood draining from his face. “I think I’m going to throw up.” He said.

Tasha patted his shoulder. She also shifted away slightly, but Joel was too out of it to feel offended.

“I’d never seen a hybrid like him before,” Marley continued, “He had these leathery wings that he could make disappear or be visible. And these short horns and clipped claw-nail things.”
Joel slumped back. His head throbbed painfully as it slammed against the wall.

“He’s in jail.” He said, mostly to himself in an attempt at reassurance, “He’s in jail.”

“Rich sods never stay in jail long.” Marely said.
“Marley.” Tasha hissed.
“What?!” Marley defended himself, “Better be honest with the poor guy. Look at him, Natasha, he deserves the truth as to what’s been done to him.”
“That might not be what happened to him.” Tasha snapped, “And don’t call me Natasha.”
“Whatever you say Nat-“ Natasha growled. Marley stopped talking.

There was a brief pause where the cell was silent. Joel took the opportunity to painfully hiccup before he was dry heaving, stomach rolling painfully, despite there being nothing for him to expel.
“Oh shit.” Marley said.
“Oh Joel,” Tasha said.
“He’s in jail?” Marley’s attempt at comfort sounded like a question but Joel appreciated it nonetheless.

“Come here, Dog.” Marley and Tasha shrieked at the sudden voice. Joel startled, having not heard the human come in. Joel’s body jerked to obey, but his limbs didn’t hold the strength to carry his weight. He crashed to the floor and his world slowly faded to black.

Chapter Text

Joel jerked awake. His ears twitched, listening. There it was again. A faint howl in the distance. Joel threw his head back and howled too. The sound rumbled deep in his chest, a primal need for pack magnifying his voice so that it bounded around the room and hopefully out across to the hybrid who was calling.

He could have howled for ever, even if there was no response, but hands over him cut him off, his voice straining as someone pulled at his neck and cupped a hand over his mouth. The hybrid in the distance howled back. Joel made a weak, strangled sound.

The last three weeks had felt like three lifetimes. Joel had been thrown in the ring in front of betting spectators a good few times, and he sported the injuries to prove it. He was only ever put on for what the men in charge of this place called the warmups. His ‘fights’ were supposed to be short and sweet to get the crowd ready for the main event.

It still confused him why they kept him alive when any other hybrid would have been left to bleed out. For the three weeks since he’d passed out at the ringleader’s feet, Joel had been kept in a small, dark room that was just like the one that he woke up in when he was first sent here.

The only person he saw was his so-called handler, who did little but drag him to and from the fighting ring. The endless silences and stretched out hours were becoming too much. On more than one occasion, he found himself looking forward to when they brought him out to the ring, for at least he wouldn’t be alone with nothing but the blank walls for company.

The hands on him remained firm and strong, bruising his skin. Joel stilled under them, hating his body for the way it longed to lean into the human contact. A firm hand squeezed his throat. He moved to howl again.

“Shut it,” Joel’s eyes snapped open. The man holding him down was unfamiliar, but that voice was so painfully familiar-

In the doorway stood Master. Joel stared, mouth opening and closing in shock.

“You can let him go now,” Master commanded, “I can take it from here.”

The hands left him, but Joel didn’t dare move. In fact, he didn’t think he’d have been able to if he tried. His body felt locked in shock, muscles unable to unfreeze until his brain caught up with whatever the fuck was going on.

“The jury deemed me not guilty,” Master said conversationally, “Of course, if they hadn’t then they’d better not have been too attached to their friends and family.”

Master smiled. Joel stared.

“On the topic of family.” Master continued, “I made my brother pay for sending you away. He had no right to sell off my property like he did.”

Master stuck his hands into his pockets. His face then lit up with a childish glee, “Oh! How could I forget?! I promised that you would get this back, remember?”

Joel couldn’t help the tears that filled his eyes at the sight of the collar and cuffs in Master’s hands.

“Oh, puppy, I know, come here, kneel by my feet so I can put them back where they belong.” Joel knelt at his feet, the tears now running down his face. Master wiped them away, only after making sure the restraints were firmly locked in place. The key returned to a chain around Master’s neck.

Joel looked up to see tears in Master’s eyes too. “Oh, you look so good, just how you should be.” Master said, his voice sweet and reminiscent. Master tugged on Joel’s collar. It didn’t give. Joel tilted forward with a grunt. Master smiled…

-“What the fuck is wrong with him?” Joel jerked his head up. He was knelt in the middle of the same cold room. His neck and wrists were bare. In front of him stood his handler, behind him a woman in the same uniform.

“He’s been on his own for three weeks,” the woman said, “he was bound to crack at some point.”
“Well maybe that was his fault for going and talking nonsense into all the other hybrids.” The man cuffed Joel roughly, leaving his ears ringing.

“Leave him,” The woman was saying, “It’s all fine.”
“Wait-“ Joel’s voice was raspy and desperate, “No, please, don’t leave me.”
“You can’t be trusted to behave,” the man snapped, “so this is what you get.”

The door swung closed firmly behind, leaving him once more in silence. Joel slumped over, hugging his knees tight to his chest and allowed himself to truly fall apart for the first time since getting here. He sobbed into his knees, mourning the apparent loss in his mental resolve.

Hours came and went. Joel sat through all of them in the same corner, his limbs locked as tight to his body as they could get. He wished he could have a chance to fix his mistake. He wished that he could have the opportunity to prove that he could be good. That he could be what they wanted.

~~~

Today was different. Joel awoke to shivering as cold water sloshed over his head. The human holding the bucket smiled at him sweetly.
The sadistic glint in his eyes was instantly recognisable. Joel swallowed nervously. This was the man that knew about his curse.

“Morning,” the man greeted conversationally. Joel bit his tongue, uncertain to whether he was expected to respond.
At the lack of response, the human scoffed, rolling his eyes as if he were disappointed.

Joel couldn’t help the way his gaze flickered over to the still open door. The man smirked at him. Joel quickly averted his gaze.

Both of them jumped when a pained howl echoed down the corridor. It was followed by whining and another startled yelp before falling silent once more. Joel looked at the doorway with wide eyes. When the still body of a familiar wolf was dragged past, he couldn’t help the tears that formed in his eyes.

“JOEL!” That was Tasha’s voice, “You bastards, what did you do to him?!”
Joel opened his mouth to yell back.

“Don’t say a fucking word.”
His breath escaped in a strained sigh, the only noise escaping him a small wheeze.

“JOEL?!” Tasha yelled again.
“Joel?” Marley’s voice was full its usual composure, but the concern in his words rang out loudly.
Joel took in a deep breath, honing all of his strength and concentration against the order.
“I said, don’t-“

“Wasn’t me.” Joel yelled, “m’fine”. His throat immediately felt like it had been dosed in flames. It was kind of like how he imagined swallowing hot oil would feel.
“You little shit.” The man hissed, looming threateningly over where Joel now lay, barely holding his body up off of the ground on his elbows.

A boot with a steel capped toe collided with his elbow, sending him crashing hard down to the stone floor.

“Don’t make a single sound.” He spat. Joel couldn’t gather the strength to fight and mournfully closed his eyes as he felt his voice close up and lock itself away.

The foot connected with his stomach this time. The air was knocked out of him, but he didn’t make a single sound, other than the choking rush of air. Kicks rained down on him, connecting all over. It was all he could do to try and shield his head with his arms and tuck his knees up to try and protect his stomach.

Once, he sobbed, but the pain at his throat cut the sound off before it could really finish. Vaguely, he was aware of the blood that ran down his chin from where he was biting his lip to stop himself from crying out.

“Are you finished now?” Joel nodded desperately, ignoring how the movement sent chains of pain throughout his body.
“Good,” the man said, taking a slow step back from Joel’s quivering body. “I could use a coffee.”

Joel listened to the steps retreating from his cell. His blurry vision noted the deliberate action of leaving the door open, knowing that no matter how hard he tried, Joel would not be going anywhere.

He rested his head on the cold floor and let the tears fall. His chest constricted painfully with silent sobs. Marley and Tasha still called his name. Joel listened sadly, unable to call back to reassure them.

It could have been minutes, it could have hours, but eventually, footsteps echoed towards him. Joel opened his eyes, blearily.

“Oh my god.” Joel made eye contact with Tasha. Two bald men stood either side of her, each holding one of her arms, keeping her firmly in place even as she struggled towards him.
“Joel!” She cried, “Joel? Oh my, Joel? Are you- What did they do to you!?”

Drowsiness heavily pulled on him, making his limbs impossible to move. He fought with all his remaining strength to keep his eyelids open, but try as he might, Tasha’s form gradually grew blurrier and blurrier until the darkness caved in and he let his eyelids slide shut.

So, there he lay, listening to the sounds of movement in the corridor, listening to his own heartbeat.

Gradually, a roaring crescendo of noise grew. It was faint, clearly in the distance. Joel listened carefully. There was a low growling, but the majority of the noise came from cheering and clapping.

Realisation sunk in Joel’s gut like a lead balloon. This was the Lords’ event. This was his chance for escape. This was his chance and he was reduced to a quivering mess of blood and bruises, unable to so much as call out.

The noise rang loudly for hours. As the time went on, the cheering became more and more raucous. More and more footsteps also passed Joel’s open door. Some were lopsided, suggesting a heavy limp, some sounded more like somebody was just being dragged. Joel listened to it all, trying desperately to keep his breaths slow and even to minimise his pain.

“He’s in there.” Joel knew that voice.
“M’rly?” He asked. More pain flared from his disobedience and Joel just sniffed sadly, his breath catching and stuttering in his throat.

“Hey, mate.” Marley’s voice was soft. That meant something was wrong. Very wrong.
Joel didn’t say anything. He closed his eyes tight.

“Joel, man,” Marley sounded worried. Joel didn’t want to know what about. He hurt too much. He just wanted to be left alone, “Joel, look I have to go, but this guy said he knows your lord.”

Joel cracked open an eye. Marley was a blur. The guy behind him even more so.
“I have to run or this will all go tits up.” Marley’s hand ghosted over his shoulder. Joel flinched. “Sorry, sorry. I really hope he’s who he says he is.”

With that, Marley was gone.

The mystery figure approached him. His footsteps were heavy, echoing loudly around the small room. Joel tried his hardest to shy away. The owner of the boots crouched down so that they were squatted next to him.

“Hey,” the voice was low. Joel was too afraid to figure out if it was familiar to him or not, “Let’s get you out of here, yeah?”

Chapter Text

Joel didn’t move. He didn’t acknowledge the stranger’s voice. A part of him was so deathly afraid of who was there. There was nothing that he was able to do to defend himself or protect himself. He was entirely vulnerable to the mercy of this stranger and if that wasn’t a terrifying thought then he didn’t know what was.

“I’m going to touch you now, okay?” There was the voice again. Joel kept still, breathing slowly and trying hard to not think about the throbbing pains that spread across his body.

The lightest brush of the stranger’s hand against his skin sent screaming protests across his body. Joel sharply sucked in a shuddering breath, but he felt too heavy to do much more.

“I’m a friend of Mumbo’s, okay?” The stranger reassured him, “I’m going to get you up and take you to our home server. It’s safe, I promise.”

Joel cried silently as the stranger pulled his body upwards into a seated position. He could feel small trickles of blood traveling down his skin, over aching bruises and tender scars.

“Do you remember Mumbo?” The stranger asked.
Joel jerked his head in the smallest nod manageable. The stranger hummed, obviously relieved that Joel was responding.

“He was kind to you, yes?” The stranger reminded him softly, “You can trust him?”

Joel nodded again. He didn’t hear what the stranger said next as a ringing grew louder and louder in his ears until it had reached the peak of its crescendo, manifesting in a mind-splitting headache. Heat began to settle under his skin, and for a moment he feared that his fever had returned.

The familiar tendrils of electricity blossoming throughout his veins clouded most of his logical thoughts after that point. The only words that his mind had the capacity for were spoken in the voice of Lord Mumbo Jumbo himself.

~
“Under no circumstances can you talk about the true work I, Lord Mumbo Jumbo, do”, “you make me out to be unsympathetic or cruel towards you during my time here. You do not mention the liberties I allowed you and you do not say anything that implies you or the other hybrids here were free to do as you wished”, “the only person who can revoke or counteract these commands is me.”
~

Suffering was all he knew. In a way it was nice; it was familiar, it was predictable. It was almost a blessing really, to be lost in his own mind for a while. For a few precious moments before unconsciousness claimed him, he existed without the solitary confinement he had been subjected to recently, he existed in a plane where he felt no ties to the surrounds around him. Well, other than the pain that was.

The second that the light shone through his eyelids, Joel wished that he hadn’t woken up. The light brought pain, and the pain brought more awareness of his whole body, which was ridden with pain. Joel found himself wondering at what point his nervous system would just give up on him. He had heard of people growing a higher pain tolerance, and cursed whatever higher power that might be out there that he wasn’t blessed with that ability. If anything, the more pain he was put through, the more sensitive to it he felt.

He planned on just laying there unmoving, continuing the illusion of sleep in the hopes he could slip back under, but the ominous approach of a sneeze threatened at his nose. Joel held his breath. It didn’t help.

The sneeze sent a tidal wave-like shock of pain down his body, but the intensity was lesser than he had been bracing for. Instead of the daggers he anticipated, he got needles.

“Joel?” Mumbo’s voice sounded watery.

Joel opened his eyes slowly. Mumbo gradually came into focus. Even with shadows under his eyes and greasy hair, Mumbo looked to him like the most beautiful guardian angel. Joel pushed himself up and flung his arms around his friend’s neck.

Mumbo squeaked in surprise, but quickly returned the hug, wrapping his arms tightly around Joel.

“You’re so thin.” Mumbo said sadly, “Did they not feed you at all?”
Joel huffed a small laugh and shook his head a little in jest at Mumbo’s horror.

“I didn’t want to go. I was going to skip to look for you, but Gem made me. Something about a stupid image, and Joel, oh my gosh, when I heard the other Lords discussing you, talking about the curse, and I realised you were there too and I couldn’t do anything about it, just wait and hope. I’m so sorry, Joel, so sorry for leaving and-“
Joel dropped his head to Mumbo’s shoulder, hoping it got the message across. From the way Mumbo’s tense form uncoiled and relaxed, Joel assumed that it worked.

“You’re free to talk now, Joel.” Mumbo said, “Speak at your own free will.”
“Thanks.” Joel rasped, smiling tightly and trying not to wince as he eased himself back down to the cushions that he was lying on.

“In fact,” Mumbo said, a strange surge of confidence striking through him, “All previous commands that I can overrule, I rid you of. You’re free to make your own choices.”

The flurry of changes was overwhelming. Demonic magic shifting made his stomach twist with nausea, and mind fog, “Please,” Joel heard himself begging, “Stop, stop, please,”

“What’s going on in here? I would be able to feel those shifts in magic a mile away.” Joel recognised that voice. That was the voice of the stranger from before.

“Where am I?” he asked, suddenly taking in his surroundings. It looked like they were in a tent. It was furnished with chairs and cushions and a wheelie cart full of what looked to be medical supplies.

“Just outside of hermitcraft.” Joel turned his head. The guy stood over Mumbo looked kind, but Joel couldn’t help but focus on the leathery wings that tucked behind his back and the small horns that were nestled in his hair.
“I’m Impulse.” He said with a small smile and wave.
“Marley saw you at the vet.” Joel said, dumbstruck.

“What?” Impulse looked horrified, eyes glancing nervously towards Mumbo.
“Marley-“

Impulse cut him off, “Mumbo, man, you’ve been sat by his side for days, go home, get some sleep and have a shower.”
“But,” Mumbo protested.
“He’ll be okay,” Impulse smiled, “Send Etho down on your way, if you’d like. Now that he’s awake.”

Mumbo looked over to Joel cautiously.
“I’ll be okay.” Joel parroted.
“Okay,” Mumbo agreed, clearly hesitant.

Joel caught his hand as he stood, “Thankyou, seriously.”
Mumbo smiled softly before ducking under the tent flap and heading off.

Joel turned back to Impulse, “So, the vet?”
Impulse swallowed nervously.

“You were his too, weren’t you?” Joel ignored his aches – that he assumed had been attended to in his sleep, hence the significant reduction in pain. “You were his demon. He lost you. That’s why he was so paranoid. You- he- I can’t-“

Impulse put a hand out. Joel flinched back. Impulse drew his hand back looking as if he had just been burned.

“The demonic magic coming off of you is so strong.” Impulse said sadly, his tone reflective of way you might deliver the news someone had a terminal illness.

“The vet.” Joel insisted.
“I don’t know.” Impulse admitted quietly, “he sent me, it sucked and when I got back, he could punish me with the push of a button.”
“He sent me too.” Joel admitted, just as quietly.

“Oh,” Impulse’s eyes filled with grief, “Did, did he send Skizz?”
Joel shrugged, “Skizz behaved.”

Impulse nodded. To both of them that was a reassurance. Skizz behaved. Skizz was trained and sculpted since his childhood. He knew his place and so didn’t bring the punishments upon himself that Joel and Impulse had.

“None of the others know about the surgeries.” Impulse said quietly.
“Would you like me to keep it between us?” It seemed nice, having a little secret. Like this was a part of their stories that could just belong to them alone.
Impulse nodded slowly, “Unless they need to know.”

“He’s in jail.” Joel said.
“He’s in jail.” Impulse repeated.

“Hello?” A voice nervously called from beyond the tent, “Mumbo sent me.”
“Come in,” Impulse called.
“Hi,” A mop of white hair clouded Joel’s vision. He jumped slightly at the sudden proximity.
“Hello?” Joel said, suddenly self-conscious under the stares of two near strangers.

“I’m Etho.” The stranger said, “I, uh, I’m the medic.” The statement sounded more like a question, but Joel couldn’t help but feel comforted by the way Etho’s eyes smiled at him.
“Joel.” Joel whispered back.

“Do you mind if I look you over?” Etho asked.

Joel shook his head lightly, shuffling himself upwards into a sitting position.
Etho’s hands were gentle and confident as he prodded at Joel’s skin.

“This is all healing really nicely.” Etho said, “It’s good to see you up as well.”
“How long was I out?” Joel asked, realisation dawning on him that maybe it hadn’t just been a few hours.
“It’s been three days now.” Etho said matter-of-factly, “Don’t worry, it was good. It meant that your body could heal. It also meant that stress wasn’t forcing you awake, which is unusual for people in your situation.”

Joel felt slightly offended although he wasn’t sure why.

“Why are we in a tent?” He asked.
“Ah.” Etho looked to Impulse, who shifted nervously. It seemed like neither of them wanted to breach whatever subject this was with him.

“What?” Joel was suddenly nervous.
“Our safety measures wouldn’t let you in.” Impulse said softly, “Our admin is trying to figure out why.”
“Oh.” Joel said, frowning. He scratched behind his ear.

“Did anything happen out of the ordinary?” Etho asked, “Anything that didn’t happen to Skizz, or Impulse? Something that he did to you alone?”
“Um, the collar?” Joel said, putting a hand to his throat. The action sparked a memory and he flinched. “And, there was something else.” He fiddled nervously with his fingers, avoiding eye contact.

“Would you feel comfortable sharing that with us?” Etho asked, busying himself with the medical cart that Joel was sure didn’t need organising.
“A tracker.” Joel said, “In my neck. His brother used them for his hunting eagles or something.”

“Can we get it out?” Impulse asked. The question was clearly aimed towards Etho but Joel answered anyway.
“No,” he said, “he made sure it was for good.”

Etho and Impulse exchanged a look.

“I’ll go and get Xisuma.” Impulse said before dashing out of the tent. Joel sighed and flopped back to the pillows, exhaustion hanging over him heavily.

Chapter Text

A small crowd stood around him. Joel fiddled with the blanket that covered his legs before looking up. Impulse and Mumbo were there, looking nervous and concerned respectively. Beside Mumbo was Xisuma, who was clearly in charge. The small group looked at him with trustful glances and Xisuma himself looked at each of them with a fond expression.

The rest, Joel didn’t recognise. There was a creeper hybrid in a long white coat, a blaze born who bounced continuously on his toes, occasionally knocking into a sheep hybrid, and finally a human looking guy with a bionic eye.

Every set of eyes – organic or not – were trained on him, and Joel felt himself begin to sweat under the intense weight of their stares.
“Woah, give the guy some space,” Joel looked up to see Etho pushing his way into the now crowded tent, a couple of balms and potions in his arms. A few people stepped back slightly, but on the whole, the small crowd did nothing but shuffle, looking left and right.

They had all trailed in awkwardly, one after the other, and it had left Joel feeling rather like a museum exhibit. Joel had opened his mouth to speak, but the words got caught in his throat, killing his nerve. He looked anxiously over to Mumbo.

“You can speak, if you want,” Mumbo reminded him, a reassuring smile pulling at his face. Joel nodded, but didn’t make any further move to speak. He looked down again, not wanting to risk catching any pitiful gazes trained on him.

“This is Xisuma,” Mumbo began, “He’s our admin.” Xisuma smiled and waved. Joel lifted his hand and awkwardly waved back.
“Then we have, Tango, Zedaph, Doc and Iskall,” Mumbo pointed at each individual in turn, “And of course you’ve met Impulse and Etho.”
“Hi,” Joel’s voice was much quieter and smaller than he would have liked.

“We were wondering if you would let us have a look at that tracker.” Impulse said.

Joel shifted nervously, imagining the feel of the hands of strangers on him, on his neck.

“You’ll be okay,” Etho added from behind him, where he was organising a cabinet, “You’re in good hands.”
“You’re also allowed to say no.” Mumbo added. Impulse and Xisuma both looked between Joel and Mumbo, mournful frowns forming over their faces.

“It’s okay,” Joel whispered, “You can look.”

Each hermit took their turn, examining the small mark on Joel’s neck where the needle broke skin. Some of them used red goggles like the ones Mumbo used when they first met, others had scanners and devices, Xisuma and Impulse both used a small amount of magic that made his bones ache.

When they had all had their turn, the small group bustled out of the room, discussions already firing amongst them. Joel watched as they left, finding himself relaxing a little bit with every step away they took.

The tent flap fell closed, and the air was still and quiet. Joel let out a long exhale and pushed himself forwards and off the bed. His first few steps were shaky, and his muscles ached warningly. Anxious, he paced up and down, growing agitated each time he had to turn around after just a few steps. There was an urge deep inside him that longed to run. He wanted to be let loose in a field and just run as fast as he could.

A shooting pain in his side reminded him that running was not a possibility right now.

“Are you sure you should be up?” Joel jumped. He turned, and at the sight of the person in front of him, a large grin broke out over his face.
“Skizz!” Without really thinking, Joel flung himself forward, barrelling into Skizz. Skizz laughed and threw his arms around Joel, catching him mid air. Joel felt Skizz’s feathers brushing against his hair as he buried his head in the crook of Skizz’s neck.

“You’re okay.” Skizz sniffled.
“I’m okay.” Joel repeated.

“What were they all doing in here?” Skizz gestured to the entrance to the tent as he guided Joel so that they were both sat side by side on the bed.
“Ah,” Joel hummed, “There’s a tracker or something in my neck.”

“What?” Skizz looked at him alarmed, “When did that happen?”
Joel winced, “After the raid, Master took me to his brother’s. He got paranoid. He was angry and possessive and so…,”

Skizz sniffled and tucked a wing around Joel’s shoulders. Joel leaned into to the warm touch gratefully. It was nice, feeling safe once again. He wished that this moment of peace would last forever.

For the first time in what felt like several lifetimes, Joel fell asleep warm and happy and safe.

When he woke up, Skizz was still there, sat on a chair beside Joel’s bed, his head cushioned on his arms which rested by Joel’s legs as he slept. Joel lay still, watching Skizz’s breathing. Something about the shallow nature of each intake of air seemed unnatural and slightly disconcerting.

“It’s a learnt thing.” Joel turned his head to Impulse, who sat on Joel’s other side, a heavy looking leather bound book balanced on his knees.
“The breathing?” Joel asked.

Impulse nodded sadly and reached over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Skizz’s ear. Faint scars circled Impulse’s wrists, but they were nothing compared to the mess of scar tissue that stood out so starkly on Skizz’s. It was only after doing a second take that Joel realised that they were scars and not, in fact, cuffs or bracelets.

“There’s a lot he needs unlearn,” Impulse said sadly, “It’s harder for him to adjust to being his own person than he lets on.”

Joel looked back at Impulse, but his attention was caught by the old book in his lap. The pages looked heavy and were worn around the edges, but the dust gathering at the spine suggested that it had been left untouched for a rather significant length of time. What was even more intriguing were the markings on the pages. Out of the corner of his eye, Joel could see black strokes of ink, but as soon as he tried to look in any further detail, the pages blurred and swirled into a murky blankness.

Impulse noticed him looking and closed the book quickly. The sudden thump made Joel jump. Impulse offered a small apologetic smile.

“It’s demonic runes.” Impulse said. Joel winced, a hand flying to his neck
“Sorry,” Impulse shifted uncomfortably and his leathery wings first folded behind him and then flickered out of sight.

“People who have no demonic heritage can’t read the runes, is all.” Impulse clarified, “That’s why it would have looked odd to you.”
“You said earlier that there was strong demonic magic around… around me?” Joel asked, hating the energy it took to force the words out.
Impulse nodded and shifted, “I only really have natural instinct and faint memories to go on, but I’m trying to learn more about it all to see if it will help. I’m sorry, by the way, that this happened to you. Demonic magic can be nasty.”

Joel sighed and leant back into the pillows, “S’not like it was your fault.”
“Maybe if I hadn’t run.” Impulse shrugged and looked down at his interlocked fingers, “It wasn’t even that bad, not compared to what he did to Skizz even back then.”
“No,” Joel interrupted what he was sure would have become a rapidly downhill spiral, “You did what you had to do.”

“It was all because of me though,” Impulse said sadly, “Skizz’s wrists with the melted manacles was because of me, the tracker in your neck, the-“
“It was Master’s fault, okay.” Joel insisted, “No one else’s.”
Impulse winced, “Please don’t call him that.”

“You two are depressing.” Skizz muttered into the mattress, “It’s over now, let’s just forget about it.”
“It isn’t over until Joel is safe behind protected borders,” Impulse snapped in a manner that implied that they had had the same conversation several times.

“Speaking of which,” Etho cut in, ducking through the tent entrance, “Tango thinks that tracker may have some corrupted redstone in it. Ever heard of that, Impy?”
“Sorry what?!” Joel cut in, “Redstone? Corrupted? Like, in my bloodstream or something?!”

The panic was slowly rising as he imagined a whole load of crazy science experiments. Maybe he would burst into the hulk one day. Or maybe he’d slowly mutate and corrode until he was just a-

“Wow, okay, deep breaths,” Joel looked up and met Etho’s eyes. The medic was hovering over him, pulling one of Joel’s hands so that it was pressed against his chest. Joel focused on the steady grounding thumps beneath his palm.
“Good, good,” Etho coaxed as Joel’s thoughts slowly calmed.

“Sorry,” Joel and Etho both said at the same time. Joel laughed nervously and Etho pulled away with a small incline of his head, eyes crinkling in an awkward smile.

“Anyway,” Skizz butted in, eyes focused on Impulse.
“What?” Impulse asked, alarmed, his eyes flickering between Joel, Etho and Skizz.
“Corrupted redstone.” Skizz repeated, voice full of intrigue. Joel smirked at the childlike curiosity that sparked behind his eyes, “Is that a thing?!”

Impulse looked alarmed, “Um, I mean it’s possible, technically,” he looked off to Etho uncertainly. Joel found himself also looking to Etho. Etho pretended not to notice that anyone was looking at him.

“It could have been normal redstone.” Impulse’s voice drifted slightly as if he were just voicing his train of thought rather than explaining anything, “That’s what they usually use in eagle trackers. That’s what he used right?”

Joel nodded. Impulse rubbed his wrists. Skizz shrunk into himself slightly.

“What if the curse did something to the redstone tracker, and it isn’t some corrupted stuff. I mean that’s a bit extreme right, even for him.” Impulse looked up to meet Joel’s eyes. Joel felt a little like he were an interesting project that Impulse wanted to sink his teeth into.

“Maybe do the theorising away from Joel,” Etho promoted, “No need to stress him out about an unlikely possibility.”
“Well now I’m going to be imagining the worst!” Joel protested.

“Either way,” Skizz said, “Can we bring Joel into hermitcraft so we can all be safe.”
“I’m not sure that would keep us all safe.” Impulse muttered.

“Are there people looking for us?” Joel asked, voice shaky and panicked again.
“We don’t know.” Etho answered bluntly, “They probably would have found you by now if they were.”
Joel exchanged an alarmed look with Skizz.

“Wait, no.” Etho said, “that’s not what I meant, I mean that they probably aren’t, or else they’d- no. I mean-“

Giggles cut Etho off. Joel clutched at his stomach as they bubbled from him unexpectedly. Soon everyone was nervously giggling. Joel thought it was becoming slightly manic, but it was better than tears so he just let the laughter envelop him.

Chapter Text

“Etho!”

Both Joel and Etho spun around to the direction of the shout. Joel was sat cross legged on the cot in his tent, Etho holding a stethoscope to his back.

A cat hybrid who Joel hadn’t seen before stuck his head through the tent, his eyebrows pinched in a stressed concern.

“Etho,” he panted again, “You need to come home, like, right now. People are coming this way.”
“I’m in the middle of something, Scar.” Etho said, the cold metal of his stethoscope never leaving Joel’s back.
“Etho.” Scar hissed, anxiety dipping through his voice.
“What?” Etho stepped away and turned to Scar, an exasperated expression on his face.
“You need to come with me,” Scar met Joel’s eye line before looking away.

“Who’s coming?” Joel asked nervously.
Scar swallowed, clearly uncomfortable.

“If it’s hybrid hunters then relax,” Etho said before pointing to his chest, “I’m human, remember.”
“But, Etho,” Scar protested, “That hasn’t stopped you getting kidnapped in the past. The fairly recent past I might add.”

Etho shifted on his feet. Joel’s heart began to thunder, speeding up erratically. He took a steadying breath and glanced to Etho, relieved that the human was no longer listening to his heart through the stethoscope.

“Please, Etho.” Scar turned his head and bounced nervously on his feet. He fiddled with the entrance to the tent, tugging anxiously on the ties.

“What about Joel?” Etho argued, gesturing towards him in a very dramatic manner that was so unlike Etho and so unexpected that Joel flinched away, almost toppling off of the cot.
“Sorry,” Etho apologised. Joel waved him off, cursing his fried nerves for betraying his cool.

“They haven’t managed to figure out how to open the borders yet.” Scar said, rushing over his words so much that he stumbled over most of them.
“Etho we need to go,” Scar hissed urgently.

Etho looked between Joel and Scar, visibly torn.

“Go,” Joel said, pulling on his shoes.
“I can’t just leave you,” Etho protested.
“I’m a good runner.” Joel said, plastering a grin of empty reassurance over his face.

Etho frowned and Joel could almost hear the words of medical speech that Etho had frequently delivered to him over and over about resting and healing.

Scar’s head snapped to the side, his eyes wide and tail flicking in alarm. A moment later, Joel heard it too.
“What?” Etho hissed.

Joel met Scar’s eyes once again.
“Horses.” Joel muttered.
“Oh,” Etho breathed. A moment later his head turned in a way that Joel assumed meant that he heard the thundering of hooves too.

“Go,” Joel hissed again before pushing himself to his feet. He wobbled slightly which caused Etho’s frown to deepen.

Scar grabbed Etho’s arm and tugged him put of the tent.
He peered back in, “I’m sorry, Joel.”

Joel just smiled back. His tail wagged softly behind him. Scar returned his smile before ducking out of the tent.

Nerves churned in Joel’s stomach as he poked his head into the great outdoors. Other than a flurry of spooked birds taking flight in the distance, he couldn’t see any sign of immediate danger. He also couldn’t see any sign of hermitcraft or its residents, and took a moment in awe to wonder at the power that Xisuma must have to create such protections.

A far off neigh had his attention snapping straight back to the approaching threat.

Joel began to run. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, revelling in the freedom that came with the feeling. It was almost enough to make him forget the fact that he was potentially being hunted down.

His muscles ached and protested far quicker than they usually would, given the recent months of little to no movement. To distract himself from the pain of his muscles and the uneven path under his feet, Joel focused on his breathing, keeping a steady rhythm of inhales and exhales.

The thundering of his heart was almost enough to drown out the thundering of hooves. Almost… but not completely.

The first lash had him stumbling forward. The second had him tumbling to the ground. For a second, Joel couldn’t tell up from down or left from right. All he knew was the hard ground that hit so hardly as he rolled head over heels.

There were voices bellowing around him, and even as his body stilled from its descent, his head swam, tethering Joel to the rooted dirt of the forest. His still healing wounds screamed at him, his tolerance softened by his short stint out of harm’s way.

Joel tucked his limbs in tight and covered his head with his forearms. He clutched at his hair and squeezed his eyes tight shut as if the effort would take him straight out of the hands of his worst nightmare.

Hooves thundered around him. Joel could feel the movement of air on his skin and the vibration of the heavy clomping all around him. Tears prickled at the corner of his eyes, and his muscles spasmed with nerves.

A firm hand grasped the back of his shirt and yanked him upwards. The movement spooked the horse, and then Joel was choking as the rider kept his grip firm despite the rearing of the frantic animal. Joel finally opened his eyes.

The first thing that he saw was the leather of the riding whip that was held in the hand of the rider a few feet away. The second thing he saw was the beetroot red face of Master.

Joel backed further into the horse behind him, blinking wildly. He looked back up, pleas of forgiveness and mercy formed on his tongue before the sight of a slender feminine face stopped him in his tracks. He blinked harshly. Master was nowhere to be seen.

Not for the first time, Joel was seriously concerned that maybe he had been broken beyond repair. To be spooked and nervous was one thing, but to be hallucinating faces of people who weren’t there was another thing entirely.

A thin metal hoop was secured tightly around his neck. Joel jerked at the contact, his hands flying up to tug at the loop. It didn’t budge. The woman raised the whip and brought it down heavily. It was the last thing Joel saw before he blacked out.

~~~

The world came back to him in painfully bright colours that blended together to make a sickly wormhole that sent his stomach lurching. He gagged, and panicked hands rolled him to the side before he threw up.

“Are you okay?” The voice was quiet, but still pierced his ears, increasing the ache pounding in his head.
“Oh, sorry,” the voice faded as footsteps carried it further away. Joel whined, heart dropping as the stranger began to leave. Joel reached out and clutched onto a wrist, silently begging not to be left alone. Not again. What if he never came back and Joel was left alone for week in nothing but a cold, damp cell and-

“Breathe, breathe,” the voice coaxed him. Joel’s fingers were still tight around the wrist, but the stranger was making no move to leave. In fact, Joel swore that he could feel fingers running through his hair.

Joel opened his eyes and clenched them tightly closed when his vision was filled with a shimmering yellow.

“You back with me?”

Joel opened his eyes again – slowly, this time – and looked at the stranger. He had warm brown eyes and blonde hair, and his eyebrows were furrowed. As Joel looked up at him, the frown vanished, replaced with a joyous smile. Joel couldn’t help the answering smile that graced his lips.

“What happened?” Joel murmured, releasing the stranger’s wrist and accepting the hands that supported him as he sat.
“The hunters may or may not have had an unfortunate incident with a minecart,” the stranger replied cheerfully.

“What?!” Joel blinked at the innocent looking guy beside him. The stranger was covered in grime and soot, but his young face was so gentle that Joel couldn’t imagine him inflicting any kind of violence upon anyone.

The stranger shrugged and smiled.

“I’m Jimmy.” The stranger said, cheerfully.
“Joel,” Joel replied, bemused.

Jimmy smiled and turned slightly to grab something. Joel couldn’t help reaching out once more.

“Don’t leave.” His voice was painfully weak and Joel immediately let go, his face flushing with embarrassment.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Jimmy said, seemingly unaffected by or unobservant of Joel’s unusual behaviour.

“What happened?” Joel asked again, suddenly concerned that maybe he didn’t want Jimmy near him, “Who are you?”
“Jimmy,” Jimmy said happily, “I got us away from them don’t worry. Will you let me have a look at your face?”
“My face?” Joel reached a shaking hand up to his face. When his fingers came into contact with the bridge of his nose, he winced. His fingers came back feeling wet.

“You were unconscious when they tried to get me.” Jimmy said, “That cut has been bleeding ever since.”
Joel remembered the whip coming down on him and shivered. Now that he was thinking about it, he could feel a stinging of pain trailing from his nose, down one side of his face and ending just over his collarbone.

“Joel?” Jimmy prompted. Joel looked over. Jimmy was holding a potion bottle in one hand and a cotton ball in the other.

“Where did you get that?” Joel asked, eyes trained on the bottle.
“Oh,” Jimmy looked down at the potion, clearly caught off guard by the question, “It was in their supplies, I’m sure it’s fine.”

“It’s gold.” Joel stated. Images of Skizz restrained and hurting flashed behind his eyes. The useless, guilty feeling that he felt back then flooded over him now.
“The good stuff is gold.” Jimmy said.
“No.” Joel murmured, “Not good.”

“Okay,” Jimmy agreed, putting the bottle down, “Not good, okay.”

Jimmy fiddled with his fingers as he watched Joel, “What happened to you?” He asked cautiously.
Joel frowned, “It was my fault.”
“What?”
“It was my fault.” Joel repeated, “Every stage of this mess has been my fault.”

“Did you ask to be chased and kidnapped by those people?” Jimmy asked, sincerity lacing his words.
“Well, no.” Joel said, “But-“

“Did you ask for them to hurt you?” Jimmy gently held Joel’s jaw with one hand and with the other began to dab at the cut with the cotton ball.
“No,” Joel said, “But-“

“Then it wasn’t your fault.” Jimmy said.

Joel looked up and Jimmy smiled, large golden wings framing him and shielding Joel from the rising sun. Joel smiled softly. Jimmy beamed back.

Chapter Text

The trees around them were thick and tall, winding around the overgrown path in a way that made Joel feel gradually more and more claustrophobic. He had been so sure that he would recognise the way that he came from, but upon trying to retrace his steps he found each new turn less and less recognisable.

Gradually, he was losing his spirit, resigning himself to being lost. The ever-energetic canary that had showed no signs or intentions of leaving Joel’s side was also not really helping. Joel was already feeling overwhelmed and lost and the positivity and lightness of his companion were doing little more than grind his already worn-down gears.

To top it all off, Jimmy insisted on continuing to treat the cut on his face with the golden potion he’d found on the hunters. Every time the glint off the bottle caught his eye, Joel felt his stomach turn and had to blink heavily to stop the edges of his vision blurring in a dark panic.

“Come on, Joel.” He muttered to himself as he once more shook the image of Skizz’s all but lifeless body being drained for blood.
“What was that?” Jimmy paused, obviously startled at Joel’s voice interrupting his seemingly never-ending chatter.

“Nothing.” Joel replied, “You were saying?”
“No dude,” Jimmy replied, brown eyes wide and full of sincere concern, “What’s up?”
“I’d rather not talk about it if it’s all the same to you.” Joel took a breath, struggling to withhold his growing frustration.
“Hmm,” Jimmy was clearly not satisfied with that response.

“What happened to you?” Joel asked, eager to turn the conversation away from himself and get Jimmy talking once more, “How’d you end up here?”
Jimmy paused. After a couple beats, Joel noticed the other had stopped walking. His heart fluttered as he caught the mournful look on Jimmy’s face.
“I’m sorry,” Joel rushed, “I didn’t mean-“
“No, it’s okay.” Jimmy said. The playful cadence of his voice had dropped, exposing a raw, vulnerable tone that Joel longed he could fix by doing something as simple as wrapping Jimmy in bubble wrap to prevent him from breaking.

“It was just a stupid mistake.” Jimmy said. His eyes drifted and he laughed a small broken little laugh as if he were hearing an inside joke from right inside his head.
“I was always a little overconfident in myself,” Jimmy continued, catching up with Joel and urging them forward again, albeit this time at a slower pace, “My sister always thought it was funny, so I kept going, you know.

“Anyway, Lizzie – my sister, that is – was distracted by a frog, so I thought it would be really funny to hide from her and jump out, like – raghgg!” Jimmy mimed a surprise weakly with his hands lurching forward a little in a mock charade.
“I ducked into a little nook in the rock face and came face to face with this guy. He was the first non-avian I’d ever seen, so I just kind of stared. It was odd. He looked so unbalanced and small. I guess maybe that’s why I wasn’t expecting him to jump me so easily. Next thing I remember, I’m in a birdcage in the back of a carriage with a bunch of illegal coal miners looking to sneak into the mountains.
“I don’t know what happened to Lizzie. I assume that she thought I ran ahead, it wasn’t like I hadn’t done that before. We had been going to see our cousins. We went along that path almost every day for as long as I can remember. It was supposed to be safe.
“Anyway, coal mines can be dangerous, especially the unregulated ones, so miners like to have some kind of alarm system, I guess. I’m sure you’ve heard of the way they used to use canary birds?”
Joel nodded. Jimmy gestured dramatically to his yellow wings, “I suppose they thought I would do. They called me their good luck charm. I always thought that was kind of funny. Before, everyone would always poke fun at me because I was clumsy and accident prone. Sometimes Lizzie would tease I was like her personal bad omen.”

Jimmy smiled. Joel tried not to notice the wobble in his voice or raw pain in his words. It sounded an awful lot like Jimmy had given up hope of returning home.

Joel let the silence linger for a few seconds once Jimmy finished.

“Do you think they’ll look for you?” He asked.
“Who?” Jimmy glanced his way.
“Your sister.” Joel clarified warily, “Your cousins.”

Jimmy studied the ground in front of his feet.
“I don’t know.” He admitted, “I kind of hope they don’t. I’d hate to be the thing that dragged them into this. Home is safe. They’re safe there.”

Joel considered that thoughtfully. He wondered how he’d answer that question if his family were still alive. Despite the emotional maturity behind Jimmy’s words, Joel didn’t think he’d be able to shift the devastation if none of his family attempted to search for him. Joel glanced to his new friend, wondering whether Jimmy was too selfless to allow himself to voice the same thoughts.

“What about you?” Jimmy asked, “Any friends or family looking for you?”
“No family.” Joel said, “At least none that I know off.”
“My parents are dead too.” Jimmy added cheerfully. Joel blinked at the juxtaposition of Jimmy’s tone to his words.
“Mine aren’t dead, really.” Joel said. As soon as he said it, he wasn’t quite sure why. Usually, it was his go to explanation to avoid the complications of the truth.”

“Oh?” Jimmy asked, clearly trying to sound casual but failing to hide his immense curiosity. Joel snorted, mildly annoyed that as much as he tried to be annoyed by Jimmy, he couldn’t quite manage it.
“I mean, my family – the people who raised me – are dead,” Joel waved off Jimmy’s condolences, “but I don’t know my birth parents.” Joel explained, “I was left as a baby. It was on the doorstep of a homeless shelter. The people who found me there there put everything they owned together to get an apartment to raise me.”
“Did they know who your parents were?” Jimmy asked, drinking in each word Joel uttered.
“No,” Joel sighed, “Although I’ve been trying to find out my ancestry a little. I found out recently that there’s a possibility that my dad is some kind of sprite, but that seems too crazy to be true.”

“I knew a sprite!” Jimmy bounced up on the balls of his feet, fluttering a little in the limited space under the tree overgrowth.
“Really?” Joel asked, shocked. Sprites were both reclusive and rare, meaning that there was next to no one who had ever met one.
“Yeah!” Jimmy beamed, “He was my sister’s best friend. She used to hang out with him when Martyn, Grian and I got too rowdy. She always used to bake him cookies. He’d braid these magic flowers in her hair.”

Joel smiled at Jimmy’s infectious joy that the memory clearly brought back to him. It was only when Jimmy turned to face him that Joel felt a shock through his veins that could rival an anvil falling on your toe.

“Wait.” Joel said, grabbing Jimmy’s arm and pulling him to a halt. “Did you say Grian?”
“Yeah,” Jimmy frowned, tilting his head to the side, “Grian and Martyn are my cousins.”

“Oh my- OH, JIMMY!” Joel grinned, shaking Jimmy by the shoulders. He was too excited to even care about the exaggerated wagging of his tail.
“What?!” Jimmy squealed, squirming to escape Joel’s sudden grip.
“Jimmy, Jimmy, I know him, I know Grian.”

Jimmy stilled, “What?” he asked, voice quiet and unsure.
“I know Grian, well, not very well, but he lived on the server that the people who helped me live on.”
“You know Grian?” Jimmy’s voice wobbled with tears.
“I know Grian,” Joel repeated.
“You know Grian!” Jimmy beamed and despite the tears rolling down his face, he looked like the oxford dictionary definition of delighted.
“Yes!” Joel squealed, his voice rising and rising in pitch with his excitement.

Jimmy opened him mouth, but a noise in the distance had Joel, shushing him, reaching out a hand to clasp over Jimmy’s mouth.

“No, stop.” Jimmy squatted his hand away. Joel yanked his hand back at the burning pain that flared across his palm as momentum obstructed his abortion of the movement. Jimmy gave him an odd look, but luckily didn’t say anything. Joel thanked his lucky stars.

“Did you hear something?” Jimmy whisper shouted, pointing to his own ear in large gestures.

A branch broke to their left. Joel spun, ears twitching anxiously as he shielded Jimmy. Behind him, he felt the shift of Jimmy drawing his wings up.

“I don’t hear anything, Joel.” Jimmy whispered in his ear. Joel didn’t reply, listening as his sensitive ears picked up on the plodding of footsteps and clinking of metal. A gruff voice murmured something.

“Joel?” Jimmy hissed again. Joel turned to shush him once more when he caught the dusty scent of coal on the wind. Joel sucked in a soft breath of air.
“Jimmy.” Joel whispered, wary, “What did you say happened to those miners?”
“I didn’t.” Jimmy replied, “I don’t get why-“

“I found a feather!” A voice called from behind them. Jimmy jumped.
“Oh.” Jimmy stuttered out a few scrambled noises before closing his mouth with a click.

“What do we do, Joel?” Jimmy was bordering on some sort of panicked hysteria. Joel was glad that Jimmy was behind him and couldn’t see the uncertainty and nerves on his face.

Joel looked around. The path ahead was thorny and overgrown. There was no way that they could carry on undetected and they definitely couldn’t head back, straight into the open arms of Jimmy’s captors.

“Fly.” Joel commanded, trying to keep his voice firm and confident.
“What?” Jimmy’s voice gradually grew louder and louder, “No, what, Joel, I can’t, not without you, I can’t just leave you here.”
“They don’t want me.” Joel snapped back, “They want you. So go, don’t just give yourself over to them.”

“But-“
“Go to the edge of the forest,” Joel interrupted, hoping that Jimmy would listen, “There should be a tent somewhere. Wait there, and when someone comes tell them I sent you and to send help.”

“But-“
“They’ll protect you.”

“Joel-“
“I’ll be okay, I can hide a lot easier than you,”

“But-“
“Grian is there.”

“What?”
“Grian is there. Go to the tent. Ask for him. Tell someone where I am.”

“Are you sure?”
“Bloody-“ Joel cut himself off, closing his eyes and letting out a rush of air. He opened his eyes and met Jimmy’s.

“Go.” Joel said again. Jimmy’s big brown eyes searched his. Joel had to fight to maintain the eye contact as it felt like Jimmy was searching deep in the depths his soul. Joel only blinked when Jimmy stepped back.

“I’ll be back.” Jimmy promised.
“Okay,” Joel forced a soft smile, hoping that Jimmy would just leave so that he could scamper away and avoid the humans who he could hear getting closer and closer.

With a beat of his yellow wings, Jimmy launched into the air, breaking his way through leaves and branches.

Chapter Text

Joel watched the canopy of the trees until the leaves swayed back, showing no sign of the avian that had just taken off. Jimmy’s departure had momentarily left a break in the thick foliage, allowing bright sunlight to break through in a small circle of glowing beams.

Now that he had gone, the trees resumed their previous position, blocking out the light once more, encompassing Joel in the shadows of the forest. He was also left in silence. Other than his heaving breaths and the whistle of wind through leaves, there was a sudden heavy silence pressing against his heart, tightening in constrictive bands.

He strained his ears, listening out for any movement through the trees. His pursuers had grown quiet. Joel could smell the faint scent of them on the wind, but as for locating them, he had completely no idea.

The growing silence did nothing but fuel his anxiety. His only traversable route was back the path that he and Jimmy had come down – the very one that the hunters would be coming up. Joel frantically looked around him, hoping that the interwoven ferns would magically part and allow him a safe passage.

Leaves crunched in steady footsteps. The set of footsteps doubled and then tripled and then quadrupled. Joel exhaled shakily, trying to make peace with whatever fate was surely awaiting him.
Knowing that he was both injured and had no way to protect himself, Joel crouched low behind a tree, tucking his tail between his legs and trying to make himself as small as possible in the minutely small chance that he wouldn’t be spotted.

When he first caught sight of the men who were pursuing him, Joel was honestly just impressed that they had managed to keep so quiet. The men were all strong – bulky with muscles and burdened down with pickaxes and mining equipment. Their boots looked heavy and solid, yet they travelled with an impressive swiftness.

“Look.” One of them huffed out, voice deep and gravelly. He pointed one soot covered finger towards Joel. Four pairs of eyes were now blinking at him. Joel stared back, frozen.
“Where did our canary go?” The leading miner demanded, swinging a pickaxe down so that the tip rested at Joel’s throat. Joel shook his head as far as he could without pressing his skin into the sharp tool.

“Do you speak?” A second miner snapped. Joel opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His heart fluttered and his throat closed up with fear. Instead, he shut his mouth, his lip catching between his sharp teeth. Joel shook his head.

“Is it collared?” Someone asked.
The pickaxe nudged Joel’s chin, forcing his head up, exposing his neck. Joel wondered whether the pounding of his heart was strong enough for the human to feel it through his pickaxe.
“Not by the looks of it,” The miner said, “It’s a mess though; covered in blood and scrapes.”

“So, it’s a stray?”
“Does it matter?” The miner at the back of the pack whined, “Let’s just leave it here, the canary is getting further away.”
“Oh, face it Mike,” Miner number one snapped, “The canary is gone.”

The miner that Joel assumed was Mike muttered a few very colourful expletives under his breath.
“What do you want with a dog hybrid anyway?” another asked, “Just leave it.”

“Did you not hear?” The miner with the pickaxe said, “The pound pays a pretty sum for strays now.”
“Grab it then,” Mike said, not even bothering to mask frustration, “I’m sick of just standing around chinwagging.”

Joel blinked, almost forgetting that he was the object of the whole conversation. A hand buried in his hair and tugged. Joel tilted his chin, trying to minimise the painful pressure as he staggered to his feet.

The grip was firm and unwavering, punishing as he found himself pulled along. Joel fell with the momentum as he was thrown to his knees at someone’s feet. Two sets of hands held him down, one clutching at his throat, fingertips pressing into his neck. Joel could feel the threatening pressure on one side of his windpipe.

The miner in front of him opened a leather satchel that Joel hadn’t noticed until now. Out of it, he pulled out a few coils of rope. He sighed, rolling his shoulders as he was relieved of the weight of the rope. Joel squirmed at the sight, fruitlessly trying to escape the hands that held him down.

None of the men talked to him as they worked. The only sounds were Joel’s panicked whimpers and soft yelps as rope pinched and burned at his skin.

The miners pulled his hands behind his back, tightly binding his wrists in a position that pulled uncomfortably at his shoulders. Joel snapped at the fingers that approached him with another rope. He was rewarded with powerful blow to his head, leaving his vision swimming, his head still not recovered from the incident with the hybrid hunters.

Whilst blinking away stars, Joel faintly felt the rough material of the rope being forced between his teeth. Joel tried to shy away but was held steady. The rope was fastened in a tight knot at the back of his head. His whines were silenced by the rope as he vocalised the growing ache in his jaw.

A claustrophobic panic overwhelmed him as he tried to swallow, only for the motion to be prevented by the rope in his mouth. The coarse texture laid heavily on his tongue. Joel’s breathing began to pick up and he couldn’t even cough as he inhaled small fragments of frayed rope.

Saliva gathered in his mouth as if it would help in dislodging the gag. Joel closed his eyes in humiliation and terror as there was nothing he could do stop it from drooling down his chin. One of the miners laughed.

Another tug at his hear pulled his head back, and Joel snapped his eyes reopen in alarm. One of the miner’s faces filled his vision, eyes focused on Joel’s neck. Joel was only caught in confusion for a second before the final rope fastened around his neck.

And then… it was all that he was aware of.

There was a heavy weight at his throat. It was scratchy and rough and by all means, it felt nothing like the smooth, cold metal of Master’s collar. All the same, his body betrayed him, going through the learned motions that he hadn’t realised were so engrained into him.

Joel stilled on his knees, his muscles involuntarily relaxing as he grew pliant and subservient under their rough hands. His heart slowed to a steady thump and despite the internal turbulence of his thoughts, his body seemed to relax at the predictability of being under someone’s thumb once more.

“Look at that.” A voice behind him said. Joel barely processed the words through the fog that had formed in his brain.
“He must have been owned before.”
“Maybe it’s just instinct. Like it knows its place.”
“Who cares, lets just get back to base and call the pound.”

A tug on the rope pulled Joel to his feet. He went easily, letting his body be pulled along through the twisted roots that bisected the forest path. He almost felt like his consciousness floated along behind his body. Maybe if let it happen, he could just let himself drift off and he wouldn’t have to deal with this anymore.

Once more, Joel was tugged harshly, sending him down to his knees. The gravel and sharp stones split the skin of knees, and it was only barely that he managed to prevent his forehead from smashing against the ground without his hands to stabilise himself.

He felt the tugs on his makeshift collar as the rope was fastened to something. Joel retreated further into his mind, the steely hands of Master pulling him away from the present and into memories.

~~~

Joel knelt, knees aching and sending sharp spikes of pain up to his hips and his lower back. Joel shifted, trying to alleviate some of the pressure that was exponentially growing.

Master sighed, heavily slamming his newspaper down to the table. His teacup clattered on the saucer and a burning drop of the tea inside splashed onto Joel’s cheek.

“Stop moving.” Master hissed, voice clipped and layered with frustration. Joel’s muscles froze up, a stinging pain working its way through his bloodstream with every beat of his heart. He swallowed and the weight of the collar at his throat reminded him of the danger of the curse that now lorded over his life.

Joel was scared. He was scared to breathe, he was scared of Master, he was scared of himself.

The tea burned his face. He couldn’t wipe the burning droplet away unless he wanted to endure further pain, more intense than just a small burn.

Master sighed again. He took a sip of tea and then sighed once more. He then got up and left the room, leaving Joel kneeling under the table, crouched uncomfortably, unable to move.

Joel didn’t know how long it was that he was left under the table. He was aware of little more than the building pain that encompassed him until he eventually blinked from consciousness and the polished wooden floor before him faded to darkness.

When he awoke, a hand was stroking through his hair. Joel opened his eyes foggily.
“Ah, puppy, puppy,” Master said, tone chiding as if he were comforting a toddler who had just done something they were strictly told not to do.

Joel whined; his whole body licked with the flames of pain.

~~~

Joel snapped back to himself when he was pulled roughly to his feet. He blinked, frantically attempting to centre himself back in his body.
“-Housing Hybrids. We will take care of this one.” Words floated around him. It took Joel longer than it should have to actually process.

Joel limped behind this new human. He had watched as the man in the red polo shirt presented the miners with wads of cash. They were all to happy to pass him over.

Once out of eyesight of the miners, the man stopped. He pulled out a device Joel recognised from Mumbo scanning Master’s home, and brought it up to Joel’s neck. The device began to beep quicker and quicker until it was practically a flatline.

“No way.” The man muttered. He shook his device before repeating the strange reading. The device did nothing different, “You’re the tracked little shit that got Simon and Brianne killed.”

Joel froze.
“Let me see what is so fucking special about you.”

The man looped the rope that leashed Joel around a nearby tree trunk. Joel tugged against the restraint but succeeded in nothing but giving himself rope burn on his already sore neck.
Joel screamed, the sound guttural and terrified. The sharp sting at his throat was both unexpected and unimaginably painfully.

The human in front of him held a knife. A knife that was coated in Joel’s blood. Joel could feel his warm blood oozing down his neck from the cut that had been carved just under his jaw. The man paid him no mind, collecting Joel’s blood and pouring it into another component of his mysterious redstone device. Joel sobbed, the throbbing in his head now doubling as blood seeped out of his neck in time with his pulse point.

A flash of metal through his tears had him thrashing in his bonds, rope burn be damned. He pulled and twisted and bit down harshly on the rope in his mouth.

The knife dug into his arm this time. Joel through his head back and howled. The sound was muffled by the rope gag, but still echoed eerily loudly around the forest. The howl was cut off by a rough cough as the human pulled on the rope around his neck.

Joel slumped forward, exhausted. He felt hot and floaty and nausea bubbled deep in his stomach.

The human cornered Joel, pushing him roughly against the tree, bark scraping at his back. Joel flattened his ears to his head, high pitched whines escaping him.
The knife then sunk into Joel’s shoulder. The man whispered in Joel’s ear. His tone was scary and threatening, but the words were lost to Joel as pain took over.

Joel didn’t know what was happening, but he could feel hands on him. He whined and cried, trying to back away, frightened by the way he couldn’t tell if the hands were physically there or just mental scars.

There were whispers all around him. They surrounded him as hands pulled him forwards and forced him to the ground. They caught his flailing limbs and held them down, ran over his hair, his face, his neck. The ropes tightened before falling away and Joel wasted no time before he was wailing. He screamed out a strange mix of human yells and animalistic howls.

His heart longed for a pack that was long gone. If had been any more coherent, he probably would have been screaming out for his family, for the humans that showed him nothing but love and care.

His vision whitened in pain and for a second, he swore he could see the open arms of his family, his pack.

“It’s okay,” an angelic voice soothed him, “You’re okay, we have you, it’s okay.”

Joel cried into the person’s chest as they held him. They felt safe and warm and he had no more room for fear, he was way too exhausted.
A glass bottle was pressed to Joel’s lips. He whined and tried to turn his head, but the bottle remained stubbornly there. Giving in, Joel drank the strange liquid. Instantly, his pains began to lessen, and his mind began to clear.

“There you go, there you go, it’s alright now.”

Joel opened his eyes. Large white blobs encompassed his blurred vision.

“Heya, Angel,” Joel slurred.
“Hi there Joel,” Skizz replied.

Chapter Text

Joel stared up at Skizz. His friendly, familiar face felt safe, and Joel felt his heart rate slowly steady out as his blinked up at him.

Unfortunately, relaxing came with the unpleasant consequence of the spike of adrenaline that flooded through his veins dying out. With it, it took the one thing that was muting down his pain.
As his muscles relaxed, Joel took in a long breath. The air seemed to scratch long trails down his sore throat, causing him to cough grittily. The jerking action of coughing reminded him of the cut on his neck which stung painfully. Joel hissed through his teeth on his exhale, the air rushing from his lungs.

“Okay, steady,” Skizz said gently, “You’re okay. Just try and take small breaths, yeah?”
Joel began to nod, but he aborted the action quickly at the lick of pain that burned around his neck upon movement. Beginning to hate how pathetic he felt, Joel tried to push himself up.

“Joel, Joel,” Skizz protested, gentle hands pressing him down to the ground, “Joel, don’t move, buddy, it’s alright.”
“No,” Joel protested weakly, despite his muscles locking at Skizz’s advice, “I need to move, we need to go, Skizz, I-“ Another cough cut him off.

Skizz opened his mouth, but it wasn’t his voice that Joel heard.
“They’re over here!”
Joel wanted to turn his head, but his body forced him to stay still.

Leaves crunched around them as people approached.
“Skizz, let me move, please,” Joel begged, anxiety blossoming in his chest as the footsteps made him feel increasingly more claustrophobic.
“What?” Skizz said, “Let you- oh. Oh, Joel, I’m sorry. Of course. You can move, buddy, you can move.”

Joel sighed softly, shuffling so that he didn’t feel so exposed.
“Help me sit up?” He asked, keeping his eyes trained downwards, avoiding any kind of eye contact with Skizz.

Skizz sighed, obviously disapprovingly, but nonetheless supported Joel awkwardly into a sitting position. Joel tried to pretend that at least part of his staying upright was due to his own strength.

“Joel?!” Joel recognised that voice, “Joel, are you- oh my-“
Yellow feathers smothered him before he even saw Jimmy. Joel covered his pained grunt with a chuckle.
“I gather you found them then?” Joel teased, voice tight with pain, but otherwise light and cheery.
“I did.” Jimmy grinned, pulling back and thoroughly examining Joel’s face. His eyebrows pinched and he frowned tightly as he assessed Joel’s injuries.

“Come on, Jim, let’s get him back.” Jimmy turned around, and it didn’t take knowing him to see the way his whole being lit up as he looked over to Grian.
“Ah,” Joel smiled, “You found Grian too.”

Grian smiled fondly at Jimmy and Joel felt his heart ache at the loving, familial look. A bout of grief at a strength that Joel hadn’t felt in years passed over him. He ached for the arms of his family.
Gently, Skizz and Jimmy helped him to his feet, Grian hovering around the three of them.

The journey to hermitcraft was slow and painful. Joel remembered parts of it in flashes of pain and memories of softly spoken assurances. By the time he was in familiar territory, he was so exhausted in a way that he had never been before, both mentally and physically.

He let Skizz guide him, placing his trust entirely in the angel hybrid as he closed his eyes and let his head hang low.
“Almost there,” Skizz muttered in his ear, “I promise.”

Joel hissed in surprise when his back hit a soft surface. He didn't recall being prompted on the movement, nor approaching anything that resembled a building or change from the seemingly endless trees that they had been trudging through. He opened his eyes and saw three faces peering down at him. Joel grunted, closing his eyes again and turning his head to the side.

“Okay, move aside, give me space.” Joel couldn’t help but smile at the sound of Etho’s voice. He huffed in amusement as either Grian or Jimmy chirped as Etho pushed them aside.

“Would you like me to give you something for the pain Joel?” Etho asked, “It might knock you out, it’s quite strong.”
Joel looked up at Etho and studied the genuine eyes that bore into his. Etho waited, patient and his attention focused entirely on Joel.
“Please,” Joel muttered.
“Okay, one second.” Etho turned away and picked something up after fiddling around and searching a few drawers.

“How are you with needles?” Etho asked.
Joel felt Skizz tense beside him.

“It’s okay, Skizz,” Joel said, “You can go find Impulse if you want. I’ll be okay.”
Skizz nodded, haunted eyes looking firmly away from Etho.
“Thank you, Skizz.” Joel said. Skizz smiled softly at him before slipping out of the door.

“Alright?” Etho asked. Joel nodded.
“Sharp scratch.” Etho warned. Joel welcomed the fogginess of the medication, willingly bending under its pull and allowing himself to slip off into unconscious.

~~~

When Joel awoke, he felt like a ton of bricks had just fallen on him. Or he had been hit with a sledgehammer. Or maybe both. At the same time.
He groaned, lifting a hand to rub at his eyes.

“Joel!” A voice yelled, followed by the scraping of a chair.

Joel blinked his eyes wearily as a cloud of orange filled his vision.
Gradually, the orange blob came into focus.

“Gem?” Joel asked, clearing his voice at the scratch in his throat.
“Joel!” Gem grinned before the smile dropped from her face and she frowned.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, pushing himself up on his elbows. The action ignited an ache in his muscles, but it felt so much better than the flaring pain that he had felt before Etho had done whatever it was that Etho did.
“Nothing, you big idiot.” Gem furiously wiped a tear from her face, “When you’re up, we are having a word or two about self-preservation.”

“What?” Joel stuttered, bemused by both his grogginess and the unexpected route that this conversation had taken.
“What do you mean, ‘what’?” Gem’s voice rose until it had reached a pitch that screamed exasperation.

“What?” Joel said again, dumbly.
“Joel,” Gem sighed. Joel presumed it was for dramatic effect, “I’ve ran out of fingers to count the number of times you’ve put your own head on the chopping block. And that’s impressive considering the amount of time I’ve known you for.”
“No, I haven’t.” Joel argued, “I just choose the most realistic option.”

Gem threw her hands up.

“Leave him be, Gem.” Etho chuckled as he rounded a corner, appearing around the corner and leaning on the doorframe.
“But, Etho!” Gem protested.

Etho shook his head, eyes twinkling. Joel sat back and smiled faintly, watching the interaction.

“I mean, he did save-“ Etho began.
“Of course you would take his side!” Gem interrupted, “You signed up to a criminal gang for Bdubs!”

“What?” Joel said again.
Etho winked at him, “I may be human, but that doesn’t mean I’m boring.”

Joel blinked. Gem sighed, clearly giving up on the both of them.
“I’m glad you’re okay.” She muttered. Joel smiled at her. His tail thumped the mattress. Gem rolled her eyes, but Joel saw the twitch of her lips as she smiled.

“Anyway,” Etho broke the brief silence, “How are you feeling, Joel?”
Joel shifted to look at him before rolling his shoulders, testing the injuries that had hurt so bad before.

“I feel great, actually,” Joel said, noting no sharp or overwhelming pain, “What did you do to me?”
Etho threw his head back and laughed, “I’m a damn good medic.”
“You gave him painkillers.” Gem said, blank-faced.
“I did,” Etho agreed, “But I’m also a damn good medic.”

Joel giggled, he let his head fall back to the soft pillow and looked up at the painted ceiling.
-wait-
Ceiling?

“Where am I?” Joel asked, suddenly alarmed.
“Hermitcraft.” Joel turned his head back to the door to see who the new voice belonged to. Impulse stood there, Skizz not far behind him.

“I- but- how?” Joel asked.
Impulse shrugged, “Xisuma did some Xisuma magic,”
“Tell him thank you?” Joel asked, the soft pillow and warm covers making him feel groggy and tired.
“Of course.” Impulse replied.

Joel turned to look at Gem, who quickly averted her gaze from where she was watching him fondly.

“Where’s Mumbo?” He asked.

Gem winced, looking up briefly to Impulse.
“He’s away at the moment.” She said, “Family stuff.”

As if predicting what he was going to say, Gem cut him off before he even started, “Don’t worry. He promised that he’d be okay. It’s nothing major.”
“Okay,” Joel murmured.

“You can sleep if you want, Joel,” Gem assured him, “We’ll still be here when you wake up.”
Joel closed his eyes before a flash of panic flooded through him.

“Wait,” He reached out and clumsily grabbed Gem’s arm, “The others,” he asked, searching her eyes desperately, “do they know about me- I mean, my- no, the- you know, the curse, thing.”

Gem’s eyes softened and Joel looked back to the ceiling to avoid seeing the pity in her eyes.
“No one else knows,” she promised, “Me, Etho, Impulse and Skizz, Mumbo and Xisuma. That’s all.”

“Okay,” Joel breathed out in relief. He didn’t exactly know why he didn’t want anyone to know yet. It was unavoidable, really. Anyone that he had any sort of constant interaction with him would have to know.
“You can tell people at your own pace, if you want to.” Gem assured him, covering his hand with her own.

“Is it staying?” Joel asked, voice hollow.
“We don’t know.” Gem said. Joel nodded.

“But, it doesn’t mean anything, okay,” Gem promised, her voice hot like fire, “If anyone does anything to make you do something, or says anything, I swear, I’ll-“
“Gem,” Impulse said softly, cutting her off.

“What?” She defended, “I mean it.”

Joel blinked away a tear, “Thank you,” he said, voice catching as he tried to ward off a sob.

Gem smiled, “You are not what people do to you, Joel.”
“I know.” He muttered.
“I don’t think you do,” Gem replied, “And neither did I, but I promise that we’re all here for you. We’re all here for each other.”

“Sounds too good to be true,” Joel said softly.
“I know.” Gem said, “But soon you’ll see that it is, all the same.”

Joel hummed thoughtfully.

“Let him sleep, Gem,” Etho said, “He’s going to tired. He’s healing, and he’s on a high dose of painkillers.”

The voices continued some more but Joel didn’t even try to make them out as he drifted off to sleep, surrounded by friends, safety and soft pillows.

Chapter Text

He was warm. He snuggled down into the comfort of the softness that surrounded him. Joel’s mind felt beautifully empty, devoid of any thoughts other than the glowing warmth in his chest.

Joel's vision blurred as he was unwillingly pulled into consciousness. From behind his eyelids, light pooled his vision and probed at his mind, forcing coherent thoughts and unwelcome memories to return.

The more he awoke, the colder he felt. The encompassing warmth that had blanketed him not moments ago was swiftly melting away. As he became more aware of his body, he recognised how weak he felt. His muscles screamed in protest as he shifted, his arms trembling as he attempted to reach them up and rub at his face.

"Joel?” A gentle voice asked, seemingly startled. There was the sound of a chair scraping and Joel screwed his eyes up, turning his head away from the noise.

“It’s Gem, Joel,” Gem said, her voice soft and bordering on a whisper, “You’re okay now I promise. You’re safe. You’re on hermitcraft. Skizz is here too. You’re both safe now.”

Joel blinked, trying to focus his blurry vision. Gem appeared in front of him in a murky smudge of watercolours. Slowly, her features came into focus. Joel smiled softly, her familiar face calming the thundering anxiety in his chest that he had just hallucinated all the events of yesterday.

"You’re really there?" Joel asked, his voice hoarse and croaky in a way that he hoped hide the quiver of emotion that underlined his words.

Gem nodded, a small smile breaking through her worry.
"I’m real, you're safe now." Gem’s forehead creased in concern, something Joel couldn’t read floating in her eyes.

Somewhere in the distance, a door swung open. Joel jerked slightly, ears twitching in instinctual panic at the sound. Something about waking up safe and sound played with his already fragile mind that had cracked and splintered over the months of constant pain and uncertainty.

Disjointed memories blended with what he knew was right in front of his mind. He closed his eyes as he heard the clinking of metal chains and felt the ache of cold hard floors beneath his bare feet.

Gem said something, but Joel didn’t process the words. The concern in her tone furthered his anxiety. The battle between his past and present continued, splitting his head with a brutal pounding.
Vaguely, Joel was aware of Gem’s retreating footsteps. He stayed still, curled in the blankets and pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes as if the pressure would meld his broken parts back together.

Joel did not hear Gem return, so when her gentle fingers pulled his wrist from his face, he flinched away. His body reared back from her, colliding with someone else who stood on his other side. The other person caught him and stabilised him before he could topple off of the narrow hospital bed.

“Hi, Joel,” Etho said softly. Joel’s face flushed in embarrassment, and he hid his face away further, wishing the ground would swallow him up.

A great pang of rage passed over him as he thought of all that he had battled through, just to fall by the blade of his own mind once it was all said and done. The rage was fleeting and exhausting and left him feeling drained and as if he could sleep for a thousand years.

“Grab me that pink bottle, Gem?” Etho asked over his head. Joel shook his head, the thought of consuming anything making his stomach turn.
“Can you lower your hands, Joel?” Etho asked. Joel shook his head.
“You’ll feel better if you take this.” Etho said. Joel shook his head again.
“I’ll leave it on the side for you then.” Etho said. Joel listened to the clink of glass as Etho set the bottle down.

“Come on Gem,” Etho said, footsteps retreating further from Joel’s side, “Give him some space.”
“But-“
“Trust me?”
“Okay,” Gem sighed, “We’re right outside if you need anything Joel.”

Joel ignored both of them, staying curled up until he slipped back asleep.

~~~
When Joel awoke next, he could feel the tendrils of eyes itching all over his skin. He shifted up on his elbows and turned his head, jumping only slightly at the sight of a shadow in the doorway.

“Hello?” Joel winced at the bruised pain that sat at his throat.
"Joel, I'm so sorry," Mumbo stood by the door, his shoulders slumped.
Joel cut him off with a shake of his head, "It's not your fault. You did what I asked, so thank you."

Mumbo swallowed hard, nodding but not quite convinced. "I still should have never left you there,” he insisted, his voice firm with determination, “There were so many things that I could have done. So, I’m sorry."
Joel nodded, “Well, I forgive you then.”

Mumbo smiled and visibly relaxed. Joel smiled and slowly, that warmth began to return to his chest.

Mumbo stayed with him for the rest of the day. Occasionally, he would excuse himself and come back with two mugs of steaming tea. Joel’s was only half full, a fact that neither acknowledged, but Joel was very grateful for. He wasn’t sure that his aching muscles could have supported much more without spilling hot liquid over the side.

The day after next, Joel was feeling better. He was embarrassed, but Etho had secretly told him a story of Gem falling into a fountain in front of the whole server and now every time Gem spoke, Etho looked at him with a sneaky wink. It hadn’t taken long for the giggles to push the leaden embarrassment out of his stomach.

~~~

There was a knock on the door and before he had a chance to say anything, it swung open and someone fell inside in a tumble of yellow feathers and surprised yelps.

"Jimmy," Joel greeted, smiling as Jimmy picked himself off, face tomato red.
Jimmy moved closer, taking a seat beside the bed, "How are you holding up?"
Joel smirked, “You just fell through a door,”
“Shut UP!” Jimmy squawked. Joel cackled and it wasn’t long before Jimmy was laughing too.

After a while of comfortable silence, Jimmy nudged Joel softly in the side.
“I wanted to say thank you.” Jimmy said softly, brown eyes wide and trusting.
“What for?” Joel asked, running through the short time he spent with Jimmy and what he had done for the other.

“Well, you took my place with the miners,” Jimmy said. He sounded perplexed as if he hadn’t been expecting to explain himself, “You led me back to Grian.”
“And you led them back to me.” Joel said, awkward and uncomfortable under Jimmy’s sincere stare.

Jimmy nodded, his eyes flickering in a confusing mix between understanding and not. Eventually, he seemed to decide it didn’t matter as a smile formed on his face and he tilted his head to the side.

Jimmy reached out and squeezed Joel's hand. "We’re both safe now,"
Joel felt a lump form in his throat at the intense acknowledgement of their hardships. Joel swallowed the residue of doubt and nodded. “We are,” he whispered.

“Where are you going to go now?” Joel asked, desperate not to linger too long on the ever-present fear of being collared back at someone’s feet.
"I've been talking to Grian about that,” Jimmy said, moving along easily with the change in topic. “I think I’m going to head to the Meadow and help out there.”

"The Meadow?" Joel asked.
“It’s not far.” Jimmy said, “They work close with hermitcraft there. fWhip – the admin, that is – he was actually the one who got you from the fighting ring.”
“Oh.” Joel wasn’t aware that Jimmy knew about that. Actually, now that he thought about it, everyone else probably knew more about what happened there than he himself did.

“fWhip helps hybrids like me,” Jimmy said, “I was thinking maybe he can help me find Lizzie and Martyn. And maybe I can then help people too.”
“That sounds really nice, Jim.” Joel said. “Do you think I could come and visit, maybe help a little bit too?”

Jimmy narrowed his eyes, “Only once you’ve had the full all-clear from Etho.”
Joel rolled his eyes, “Come onnnn,” he complained playfully.

Jimmy laughed.

"I'll miss you," Joel admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. It was strange, how attached he had become to Jimmy, considering that he barely knew the other.
Jimmy smiled, his eyes bright with unshed tears. "I'll miss you too," he said. "You’ll be back on your feet before you know it."

Jimmy paused as he stood to leave, “Maybe fWhip can help you find the answers you were looking for too.”
“Maybe,” Joel agreed, mind drifting off to what had gotten him caught right at the start of all of this. He had almost forgotten his quest to find his parentage, the desperate hunger and need for the truth diminished to nothing but a tickling curiosity.

As Jimmy left, Skizz took his place. Joel smiled, feeling very popular and happy with himself.
Hey, Skizz," he greeted.

Skizz pulled up a chair and plopped down beside the bed. For a while, Skizz's antics filled the room and distracted Joel from his remaining aches and the shadows of Master that resided in the corners of his mind. With each smile it became easier and easier...

Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to adjust back to the life of being free after all.

Chapter Text

Joel was uncharacteristically nervous.

He was currently staying in the spare room of Mumbo’s house. Skizz was just across the street staying with Impulse. Gem was just next door.

The point being, he was surrounded by kind people, by trusted friends, however new they were. And yet, his heart wouldn’t stop pounding and his hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

Being nighttime, there was no light coming through from behind the drawn curtains, and Mumbo had long gone to bed, leaving the hallway dark and the lights switched off. An innocent lamp sat on his desk, a warm glow casting long, winding shadows up the walls.

But Joel saw none of that. His eyes were focused on the bed in the corner of the room. It was soft – so very soft – and the covers were a warm, friendly cotton. There was a ridiculous number of pillows piled at the head of the bed, and a pair of new, fluffy slippers sat on the neatly folded blankets. The floor of Mumbo’s spare bedroom was a dark and reddish wood, upon which lay a thick, squishy rug that his toes sunk into as if it were warm, sun-kissed sand.

He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He didn’t know why his limbs were locked, why he was frozen in the doorway, unable to push himself forward despite the exhaustion that tugged from behind his eyes.

Joel felt his heart beating in his chest, his blood throbbing at his pulse points and through his veins. He felt as if his mind was lost or confused, caught in a bundle of knots, his logical thoughts thrown into the mix with his subconscious terrors.
A sob threatened to escape him, but Joel swallowed it down, taking a breath and trying to push all thoughts and feelings out of his mind.

It felt like he watched himself in third person as he sunk to his knees at the foot of the bed and curled up as tight as he could. Before he had a chance to stop and collect himself, the world floated away, and he drifted off to sleep.

~~~

Joel rolled over, stretching his arms above his head. He hummed, content as he snuggled further into the soft mattress beneath him. He was cocooned in what felt like every blanket on the server.

“Joel?”
Joel hummed, turning his head towards the noise. The light behind his eyelids was bright, and after one attempt, he gave up opening them.

“Hey man, how’re you feeling?”
Joel hummed again.

“You with me?”
Joel groaned and forced his eyes open. Mumbo’s blurry face filled his vision. When he saw him looking, Mumbo’s concerned expression twisted into a sombre smile.

“Hi Joel.”
“Morning.” Joel replied, voice thick with sleep.

Mumbo didn’t reply. There was the sound of rustling as Mumbo fussed with blankets. He chucked a couple of spare throw pillows on the floor before gingerly sitting down on the edge of the bed. Joel let his body boneless-ly roll to the side as the mattress dipped, his shoulder eventually bumping against Mumbo’s leg.

“Joel? Um, is there anything I can get you?”

Joel peered at Mumbo, squinting as his eyes finished adjusting to the bright morning light. Mumbo looked concerned, slightly panicked and majorly out of his depth. He blinked again at Mumbo, scanning his features for what it was that he was missing.

“Is something wrong?” Joel asked. Blinking the remaining sleep from his eyes and pushing himself up on his elbows. Mumbo avoided his eyes, instead looking at his own hands in his lap, brushing some imaginary dirt off of his pyjama bottoms.
“I don’t want to make you feel unsafe Joel.”
“What?!” Joel pushed himself up even more, sitting up and folding his legs up beneath him, “Is there something wrong with the security?”
“No!” Mumbo squealed, “No! No! Nothing like that,”

“What’s wrong then?”
“I just mean, I want you to know that I’ll never treat you like Kondo Burtley did.”
Joel winced at the name, then covered it with a shift to rub at his eyes.

He hummed, pausing for a few seconds before nodding, “Yeah, I know.”
Mumbo turned to him, eyes wide, “Do you?”
“I do.” Joel reached out and stilled Mumbo’s quivering hand, “I really do.”

Mumbo just stared at him.
“What happened?” Joel asked again.
Mumbo sighed, “I found you sleeping on the floor last night.” His voice was sad, and his gaze was soft, not breaking eye contact with Joel.

Mumbo continued speaking, but his voice slowly faded to static as the emotions from last night crashed right back down on him. Mumbo frowned and reached out to brush a strand of hair out of Joel face. His hand grazed over Joel’s ear and the light touch ripped a sob from his throat.

Joel tilted forward and buried his head into Mumbo’s shoulder. For a second, Mumbo sat tensely, hands stiff still on his knees. Joel let out a shuddering exhale and he felt as Mumbo relaxed with it, taking a breath of his own and bringing his arms up to loop around Joel.

His eyes began to grow heavy again. Mumbo had begun absent mindedly rubbing small circles into Joel’s shoulder with his thumb and with each rotation, Joel felt himself relax more and more.

When his tail began to thump rhythmically against the duvet, Joel turned his head more into Mumbo’s shoulder to hide the embarrassed redness that flushed across his face.

“Sorry,” he muttered, struggling to still his tail. He partially succeeded, only the end twitching every now and then.
“Don’t be.” Mumbo said, “You don’t have to hide yourself here.”

Joel sniffed, not wanting to get into his embarrassment over his instincts right now. Mumbo though, seemed to have become a mind reader this morning and reached a hand to scratch behind Joel’s ear.

The thumping returned and Joel couldn’t stop himself from leaning into the touch. Mumbo chuckled and Joel half-heartedly barked back at him to shut his mouth. Mumbo continued giggling.

In retaliation, Joel pulled away and launched an attack on Mumbo, pushing him down and tickling his sides. Mumbo’s giggles turned to squeals as he batted away Joel’s hands. Joel laughed at his weak attempts, watching as Mumbo’s face reddened and giggles caught in his throat.

“Mumbo?” A voice called, “Joel?”
Mumbo and Joel both froze, looking to the door as Gem rounded the corner, peering in. Joel scrambled off of Mumbo, who pushed himself up and attempted to fix his hair. Gem stared at them, eyebrows raised somewhat comically.

“That was not what it looked like.” Mumbo said. Gem looked to Joel.

Joel couldn’t help the giggle that burst from him. Gem’s face slowly broke into a smile of her own and she barked out a laugh, leaning on the doorframe as she bounced up and down on her hooves.

“Just wait until I tell the others!” Gem squealed.
“NO! Gem, don’t you dare!” Mumbo retorted, pushing himself off of the bed. Gem took off at a run, a constant stream of giggles following her. Mumbo chased after, hair a mess and still in his pyjamas.

“It wasn’t what it looked like!” Mumbo yelled at her.
“You keep saying that, Mumbo!” Gem shouted over her shoulder. The little noise of playful frustration Mumbo let out really did not help his argument. Nor his appearance or beetroot red face.

Joel laughed, watching as Mumbo chased Gem right out of the front door, the two of them screaming at each other. Joel watched as hermits jumped out of their way, looking amused but not surprised. Joel smiled softly, watching the carefree squabbles of his newly found family.

Gem and Mumbo disappeared around a corner, and Joel was left standing alone in the doorway of Mumbo’s house. He took a step out, closing his eyes at the feeling of the warm sun on his skin. He pulled the door closed behind him, sparing long a moment to wonder if Mumbo would mind if he left it unlocked.
Eventually, he figured that leaving it locked would mean that Mumbo himself wouldn’t be able to get back in, so with only a couple of double takes where he lost his nerve, he ventured out of the safety of Mumbo’s doorway and down the streets of Hermitcraft.

Before he had left the medical centre, Joel had had a long conversation with Impulse about the obedience curse that still sat, waiting under his skin. Impulse had assured him that none of the people who knew would tell the others about it without his explicit permission, but Joel could see the nerves in Impulse’s eyes over the thought of keeping them in the dark.

Joel disagreed with that fear. Afterall, it was his life, his decision. He had this curse bound to him with no control at all, so he thought the least he was owed was the control over who he trusted with the knowledge of something that made him so incredibly vulnerable.

He found himself rubbing at his neck as he thought about it, the feeling of bare skin under his fingertips a grounding reminder that he wasn’t anybody’s possession anymore.

In the distance, Joel could see a lone figure sitting on a cute humpbacked bridge over a small trickling river. From his silhouette, Joel could tell the other was some kind of canine-hybrid. He had fluffy ears, and his tail was looped around him, the end sitting in his lap where he ran his fingers through it.

Joel considered turning back and hiding away in Mumbo’s house, but the figure turned and saw him, raising a hand in a greeting wave. Joel considered waving back and then turning tail and running but figured that probably wouldn’t make a very good first impression.

Somewhat awkwardly, he waved back and began to make his way over. The dog hybrid didn’t say much other than a soft greeting as Joel sat down next to him, dangling his legs over the side of the cobbled bridge.

“Hi.” Joel said.
“Hey man,” the dog hybrid glanced to the side, “Joel, right?”

Joel nodded, smiling slightly to cover the squeamish feeling in his stomach that everyone probably knew all about him and what had happened-
“I’m Ren.”
“Ren.” Joel repeated. Ren smiled.

“Good to have another dog hybrid around at last.” Ren said, leaning back on his hands, “It’s always nice to have someone around who gets you.”
Joel raised an eyebrow, unable to shift the feeling that Ren wasn’t really talking about genealogy.

“I don’t make a very good dog hybrid.” Joel said. He picked up a small stone and chucked it into the river, watching the satisfying rings that emerged from where it had entered the water.
“What makes you say that?” Ren asked.
“I was raised by humans,”” Joel said, “Never even had a dog. So I never quite got a handle on the dog side of things.”

Ren laughed. “Sorry, sorry,” he said, covering his mouth, “I shouldn’t laugh.”
“What’s so funny?” Joel said, feeling a little defensive, but unable to resist the contagious joy in Ren’s laughter.
“Just relax man, there’s not much else you need to know.”
Joel rolled his eyes, “Sure, sure.”

Ren sighed, standing and brushing himself off. He motioned Joel to follow him. Joel staggered to his feet and stepped off the bridge, towards the field on the other side.

Ren dropped into a strange squat, his tail wagging softly as he stared at Joel, grinning. Joel felt an odd surge of something that resembled adrenaline, except not accompanied by the wave of terror. He cocked his head and locked his knees to stop himself copying Ren. That would just be embarrassing.

“It’s okay,” Ren coaxed him, “Try not to fight it, just trust yourself.”

Joel took a breath and relaxed. Ren playfully lunged forward and before he even thought about it, Joel was lunging back. The two of them ran circles around each other, before taking off and just sprinting through the long grass of the field, occasionally barking out to each other.

It was a freedom that Joel hadn’t ever felt before, even back before he had gotten himself captured. It felt like Ren had just loosened a lid deep within his soul that had been stubbornly stuck on for as long as he could remember.

Joel’s tail swung back and forth, and he let it. He smiled up at the sky and relaxed at the feel of the wind running through his hair.

Chapter Text

“I won’t outright stop you, Joel, but I would strongly advise you not to leave the border yet.” Xisuma said.
Joel leant back in his seat, “But, I’m fine, now.” He protested, “And the whole reason all this happened to me was because I wanted to know-“

“It’s not that,” Xisuma interrupted softly.
“What do you mean?”
“First,” Xisuma held up one finger, “The only place I can stop them finding you from that tracker is here. And second-“

Xisuma paused, faltering for a second.

“Second?” Joel asked.
“Do you know how east it would be for someone to take advantage of someone like you?”
“Someone like me?” Joel challenged.
“I mean-“
“The curse, yes I know.” Joel spat, feeling momentarily guilty as Xisuma ran an exhausted hand over his face.
“I just want to keep everyone safe.” Xisuma's tone was soft. It made Joel made that he couldn't be mad at him.

“There is no keeping me safe.” Joel stood, pacing a few lengths of the room, shaking out his hands, “Wherever I go, I am going to be in danger, X. If I never actually find out what I am then all of this was for nothing.”

Xisuma winced. He opened his mouth as if to say something else, but the door opened, cutting him off. Both Joel and X turned to see Doc poking his head through the doorframe.

“Can I borrow you for a bit, X?” Doc looked between the two of them cautiously. Joel imagined that the thick tension that hung in the air was probably rather alarming to walk in to.
“Yeah, sure.” X stood and clapped Joel on the shoulder, offering a small smile before following after Doc.

Joel sat, enjoying the calm, silence of the empty room for a second before taking a breath and pushing himself up.

The walk through the streets was nerve wracking as usual. It felt like there were eyes on him at all times, staring with an intensity that made him feel fragile and vulnerable.

“Joel!”

Joel jumped half out of his skin. He spun around, laughing awkwardly to try and mask his thundering heart and how visibly on edge he was. On the first quick scan of the street, no one stood out to him, but on a second, less frantic sweep, he saw Scar’s tail flicking around the lamppost that the other was leaning against.

“Scar,” the name left his lips in a sigh that betrayed the crash of adrenaline that flooded through him.
Scar smiled at him lazily, “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You’re good,” Joel said, shifting on his feet, trying to look somewhat casual. All of a sudden, he was overly aware of his limbs and wasn’t quite sure where to put them.

“Come with me?” Scar’s warm smile widened with the offer, his eyes lit up with what looked like an enthusiastic excitement, “Grian and I were making cookies. Usually we’d take them to Mumbo’s, but he isn’t here right now.”

Joel hurriedly took a few steps to catch up with Scar, falling steadily in step to Scar’s side. His legs moved on their own, and Joel tried to keep the rising alarm off of his face.
It wasn’t Scar’s fault, he forcibly reminded himself, Scar didn’t know. Joel blinked as he processed what Scar said. He was taking him to see Grian, someone else who didn’t know about the curse.

He had never been alone with any of the other hermits yet. Skizz, Gem, Mumbo or Impulse had always been there by his side. At the time, he found their constant lingering slightly annoying. But now, he longed for a presence that could pick up on commands – as innocently as they were intended – and release him from them.

“Mumbo’s not here?” Joel questioned, hoping that Scar would tell him that he would join them shortly, or was only temporarily busy, or maybe even nearby and could come and rescue him-
Scar hummed, “He said he’s at an office or something. Filing some papers.”
“So, off-server?” Joel felt his stomach sink somewhat.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Scar patted Joel’s shoulder as they walked, clearly mistaking his anxiety for nerves regarding Mumbo’s wellbeing. It made him feel a little guilty for not considering that and only thinking of himself.

“He’s human, remember?” Scar prompted when Joel didn’t say anything.
“Right,” Joel agreed, “Right, of course. Sorry, just… y’know.”

Scar nodded firmly as if he and Joel were connecting on a deep level. Joel winced, unsure as to why he felt so uncharacteristically awkward and uncomfortable. Usually there was pretty much no tension in his interactions with the hermits. In fact, Scar was one of the people that he had found himself lowering his guard around first.

Still though, it didn’t mean that he wanted to tell him about his curse. No matter how close they were, Joel would do everything he could to keep as few people knowing as possible.
They fell into the rhythms of pretty standard small talk for the rest of the walk. Over the few minutes it took to reach Grian’s little cottage, Joel found himself relaxing, forgetting his worries as normality crept back over him.
He figured that he must have just still been on edge since his talk with Xisuma this morning.

~~~

Grian’s sofa was warm and cosy. Joel was curled up in the corner, leaning against the arm rest, nursing a warm mug between his hands. His tail lay to his side, occasionally brushing over Grian’s leg when it swung side to side.

The sun was in the process of setting, and Joel, Grian and Scar were chatting, the soft flickering of the fireplace lighting up the room.

As it had turned out, Joel’s earlier anxieties had really been for nothing. Scar had dragged him inside Grian’s cottage to be greeted with the sight of Impulse, flour sprinkled throughout his hair and across the side of his face. (“We made cookies!” he had said proudly, holding up a tray that had clearly just come freshly out of the oven.)
Impulse was now sprawled out on the rug at the foot of the sofa. His feet were propped up on the cushion between Scar and Grian, and a plate of cookie crumps lay near his head, him having claimed the last one as his own.

“Joel, pass me my mug?” Grian nudged his side, pointing to the coffee table that stood on the other side of the armrest.

Joel inhaled. He smiled, hiding the pain that flared in his shoulder joint as he tried to control the limb from flying forwards at the request. Instead, he slowly reached out, hoping that Grian didn’t notice the tremor in his hand.
Impulse had spared him a glance, worried eyed scanning over him. Clearly, Joel had perfected his mask as Impulse turned back to Scar, seemingly satisfied that all was okay. To be fair, Joel did have a habit of underplaying the implications of the curse. Even Skizz, who had seen it in action the most, was easy to deceive. After all, Master had pretty much always had a malicious intent.

“Thanks.” Grian said softly, taking the mug from Joel, who barely realised that he had been holding it out.

Despite the order being completed, an ache lingered in his shoulder, barely noticeable, but there. Joel tried to subtly stretch it out. He once again caught Impulse’s attention, but a simple smile was all it took to quell any concern.

Joel shook off the slight fog that had flooded his brain and laughed at something Scar said. It didn’t take long for the pain to slip his mind and some point after that to slip away completely.

~~~

Several batches of cookies and cups of tea later, Joel had all but forgotten about the whole situation and was comfortably bickering with Grian as Impulse rolled his eyes and Scar chuckled along. Impulse had stopped anxiously glancing over at him every few seconds and Joel had almost forgotten why he felt so alienated in his own skin.

Almost.

Of course, the moment it all went to shit was when Impulse had stepped outside to take a call. Grian was in the midst of telling him and Scar some dramatic – most likely extremely exaggerated – anecdote, when Joel stood to refill his glass.

“Wait, Joel!” Grian grabbed onto his wrist. His hand was cold, and the unexpected grip was firm against his skin. With a nauseating jolt of adrenaline, Joel’s mind went completely blank, his body taking over, muscles tensing and throat closing up.
“Don’t go yet,” Grian whined, a playful smile on his face. He flopped dramatically over the sofa where Joel had just been sat.

Scar smiled, patting the floor next to where he sat, “Here, Joel, you can have my water, come sit, if it’ll shut him up.”

He swore that he didn’t even blink. Didn’t even breathe.

But all of a sudden there he was, shaking the fog from his eyes, knelt where Scar had told him to.

“There!” Scar was smiling at him, taking an empty glass from his hand. Joel looked at it, not remembering being given it nor drinking from it.
“Thanks.” He said tightly, trying to smile as to not alert the others that something had happened.
“Sure,” Scar looked at him strangely, the smile on his face only faltering slightly. Seemingly drawing a blank, Scar turned back to Grian, looking at him with an affectionate eye roll, “You can continue now, he’s not going anywhere.”

Grian laughed and launched back into the ridiculous story. Joel tried to listen, to pay attention, but it was hard with the constant feeling of spidery legs crawling all over his skin. He didn’t dare move a muscle, not even to shiver the feeling off.

The easy conversation continued over his head. He tried to appear present, but with each spoken word, Joel found himself comprehending less and less what was going on around him. Maybe it was feeling of kneeling – the fact that no one had told him to do that, and he had just done it autonomously was playing on his mind too. Maybe it was hearing people talk while he obeyed orders – the fact that the orders were just his oblivious friends looking after him drifted slowly away from his comprehension.
At the sound of his name, Joel jerked his head up.

Grian and Scar were both staring at him.
“Uh-“ Joel cleared his throat, “Sorry, got lost in thought, I guess.”

Grian and Scar exchanged a concerned look.
“Are you okay?” Grian asked. Joel nodded.
“You can speak.” Scar said. Grian shot him a look that Joel didn’t have the capacity to interpret.
“Yes, Sir.” Joel whispered. In his experience, an indirect order like often came with an expectation for him to undertake said action. It was strange that Master wanted him to talk. That was new. Joel internally shook his head – no, that wasn’t right. Master wasn’t here. Master wasn’t here.

“Alright...” Grian said something else, but Joel didn’t quite catch it. There was another silence where Joel felt like he was expected to say something. But the fog in his head pulled his down further and there wasn’t much he could do to fight it.
“Right, I’m going to get Impulse. Scar can you look after him?”

People talking about him as if he wasn’t there.

“Okay, Joel, just stay here, alright? I’ll be back soon.”

Stay there. Stay. He could do that. Joel relaxed, settling down in his knelt position.

Scar stayed by his side, running a hand over his shoulder. Joel let him touch him. It was comforting. It was like when Master used to pet him on the days where he didn’t do something wrong.

“Is there anything I can do?”

The whisper surely wasn’t meant for him, so he didn’t respond. Master didn’t do things for Joel, that wasn’t how it worked.

The door swung open. Master must need to call a handyman; his doors are never that squeaky.

“What happened?”
“I don’t know, everything was normal, and then just all of a sudden-“ Grian clicked his fingers in a demonstration. Joel was on his feet in an instant. Scar let out a small, startled noise at the abrupt movement.

Did it hurt, moving when he had been told to stay? Yes. Yes it did. But Master clicked. Master summoned him, Master wanted him to heel.

“Shit,” Impulse said. The curse echoed, floating through Joel’s brain foggily, all meaning behind the sound as lost as he was.

“Joel,” hands were on him. Joel whined, he cried, he pushed forward.
“It’s okay, Joel,”
“What’s happening?”
“How do we get him to relax?”
“Call Xisuma!”

“Stop, Joel, Stop!” The order was firm and shot through him like a bolt of electricity. His body crumpled to the floor, muscles shaking and tremoring with aftershocks of pain. He panted, mind flooded with anger, embarrassment and hurt. He ignored the small part of himself that felt betrayed.

“Joel?” Impulse’s blurry face swum into his vision.
“Fuck.” Joel said.
Impulse laughed a little.

“Tell Xisuma he was right.” Joel muttered.
Impulse’s eyebrows knitted into a frown.

“Click,” Joel heard himself say.
Impulse winced, “Yeah, buddy, takes a while to train out of that reaction, I’m sorry.”
“I’m tired, Impulse.” Joel muttered.
“It’s alright,” Impulse ran a hand through Joel’s hair, pushing some long stands out of his eyes, “You’re safe, I’ll keep you safe.”

Joel closed his eyes. Master’s face peered back at him. Master stepped aside and there was Skizz, strung up to that horrific machine, skin pale and eyes bloodshot.
“Don’t let him hurt Skizz.” Joel said. He didn’t know if he spoke aloud or not; all he heard were the faint mumblings of speech and the creaking of steps over a floorboard before he passed out.

Chapter Text

Joel walked into what he could only describe as an intervention. It was a sad sight that ignited that inappropriate need to giggle that usually arose in the most serious of situations.

Mumbo’s living room had been rearranged. Furniture was shifted to allow for more space. Chairs from the kitchen table had been brought through.

The faces of his friends mirrored the same solemn expressions. This time Joel could keep the small smile that tugged nervously at his mouth.

“Joel.” Etho said. His voice was flat, but relatively high pitched. It was clear that he had his medic-voice on.

“Etho,” Joel replied. The eyes on him were beginning to make him feel uncomfortable.

He began bustling around, picking up an empty mug and turning to make his way to the kitchen. His path was blocked by a curtain of white feathers. Joel stopped, eyes trained on the mug in his hands.

“Please let me past, Skizz.” Joel didn’t quite whisper, but his voice was quiet, just above the breaking point at which his voice might have broken.

“If I let you go, are you going to just leave out the door?” Skizz raised an eyebrow.
Joel rolled his eyes. “…No.” He totally was thinking about it.
“I don’t think so.”

“Make me.” Joel challenged.
“What?” Skizz’s voice lurched, his wing dropped too, perhaps unintentionally.
“You heard me.” Joel knew he was being unreasonable. He knew he was being unfair. Yet, the focus on him by so many people at once was making him feel slightly cornered. Not to mention, he was feeling betrayed by Skizz, the one person who he thought would have had his back.

Gently, hands pushed him away from Skizz. Those hands pried the mug from his fingers and handed it off. Joel watched as Skizz turned the corner, disappearing into the kitchen. Through the wall, he heard the boiling of the kettle.

“We want to help.” Joel looked up, meeting the kind eyes of Impulse, “Please, will you at least let us try?”

Cautiously, Joel nodded. He looked around. Most of his friends in the room looked various levels of uncomfortable. Bitterly, Joel felt like it was the least they deserved for forcing him into the conversation that they were surely just about to have.

“Do you want to sit?” Impulse asked.
The careful way in which Impulse was avoiding orders was beginning to annoy him. Should it? No, absolutely not. Did it anyway? For sure. Yes. Definitely.

Huffing, Joel flopped down on the high armed chair and curled his legs up to his body, his tail wrapping around his ankles. He was sure he looked somewhat of a sorry sight.

Skizz returned with an apologetic smile. Joel accepted the cup of tea that was offered to him, but not after an internal deliberation over his desire for the drink and his frustration with Skizz. As probably predicted, the warm cup of tea won over holding a petty grudge.

Over his steaming mug, Joel did a quick headcount of the people gathered to witness his shame.

Gem looked uncomfortable where she sat simmering next to Grian. Judging by the offset to her shoulders, Joel figured that the two of them had probably been fighting. Grian looked a little guilty, and Joel thought it a fair shout that they had been fighting over whether or not this whole thing was a good idea.

Mumbo also looked a little perturbed, but the most recognisable set to his expression looked to be primarily concerned. Xisuma sat close to his side, hovering anxiously as Joel noticed that the admin was apt to do.

Impulse and Skizz sat squished together in one armchair, however they somehow made it look comfortable and not claustrophobic.

Etho hovered behind Gem and Grian, not really sitting, but instead leaning against the back of the sofa and then shifting to lean against the wall and so on.

Despite there being a few empty chairs, Scar was sat on the floor, splayed out over the rug. He looked carefree and unaware of the tension in the room, but one brief moment of eye contact had Joel suspecting that Scar was acutely aware of everything going on. Joel appreciated that at least one person in the room was at least attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

“Someone say something, please,” he caved, the thick, tense weight to the air finally growing to be too much.
“Um,” Grian started, looking around.
“I think maybe, Joel,” Impulse began, “That maybe there is something that you want to say?”

Joel blinked.

“After what happened yesterday-“ Xisuma tried.
“I though we agreed this would happen on my terms.” Joel snapped.

Scar and Grian exchanged a look.

“It was scary,” Scar said, looking serious for the first time since Joel had been trapped in with them, “I just, I didn’t like seeing you like that.”

Joel sat back. He studied his now-empty mug with mock interest. He tried to take a mental step back from the situation for a second. He tried to imagine being Scar, or Grian, or Xisuma, or anyone other than himself.

He sighed, resigning himself to what he was about to do.
“When I-“ his throat closed up, and Joel cleared his throat in annoyance.
“When-“ he tried again. This time, his voice trailed off in a strange sort of squeak.

He didn’t dare look up. Instead, he curled tighter into himself and pulled his tail closer to his body.

“I can’t,” he whispered.
“Do you want me to…?” Skizz trailed off. Perhaps he remembered that fifteen minutes ago, Joel had been upset with him. Perhaps he felt like it wasn’t his place. Perhaps he decided that it was a bad idea.

Instead, Joel nodded.

“I don’t know if I can hear it.” Joel said, “But you’re right, they deserve to know.”

Skizz looked uncertainly to Impulse.

“Can I go?” Joel felt awfully a lot like a small child asking to be excused.
Xisuma looked to Impulse, who nodded softly.

“I’d rather you would be alone,” Xisuma said.
“I’ll go and see Ren.” He proposed, thinking back to that day in the field. How free he had felt. He could do with that right now. And something about being around someone who was just like him was alleviating in a way that he never thought that it would have been.

“Okay,” Xisuma breathed, “Are you sure that you don’t want to stay?”
Joel nodded rapidly, “I know what happened. I’m just, I’m not ready to talk about it,”

Joel could see that everyone was pretending that they couldn’t see the tears that were growing in his eyes and the wobble to his voice. In turn, he pretended that he didn’t see them pretending.

“Thanks,” Joel stood on shaky legs.

When he reached the door, he turned around halfway.
“Hey, X?” He called.
Xisuma turned his head, humming under his breath.

“Once they know,” Joel took a breath, forcing himself to keep his eyes on Xisuma and not look at anyone else in the room, “Once they know, would maybe it be okay if I went to Jimmy’s server? He said he might be able to help me figure out my history.”

“I don’t see why not,” Xisuma said cautiously, “As long as Etho gives you a check over before you go.”
Joel beamed, albeit slightly forced, “Cool.”

And then he was off.

~~~

Etho had given him the clear bill of health. So here he was, stood at the entrance of a beautiful and serene forest, Gem a comforting presence at his side.

“Are you ready to do this?” She asked.
“Is it crazy to say that I don’t even care who he is.” Joel replied.
“Who?” Gem asked.
“My father.” Joel clarified, ringing his hands, “I mean, I want to know what he was. I want to know why I am the way I am, genetically I mean. But I don’t think I want to meet him. I don’t think I want to know his name.”
“I think that’s perfectly fine.” Gem said, “You don’t owe him anything.”

“Joel!”

Joel spun just in time before he had an armful of Jimmy.

“Hey, man.” Joel grinned, his voice muffed in Jimmy’s shoulder.
Jimmy pulled back and bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet.

“I found it, I found it, I found it.”
“What?” Joel laughed, Jimmy’s joy infectious. Even Gem was giggling behind her hand.
“I know who your dad was!” Jimmy squealed, “And you know what?!”
“Wait, what?” Joel felt like he’d just gotten some kind of whiplash.
“I found your brother!” Jimmy bounced some more.
“I don’t have a brother.” Joel said.
“You do!” Jimmy was practically vibrating with excitement. Joel felt somewhat overwhelmed.
“And you’ll never guess what!” Jimmy barely took a breath.
“What?”
“I know him.” Jimmy clasped Joel’s hands, “It was like we were destined to meet.”
“Jimmy, bud,” Joel shook his head, “I am so lost, you’re going to have to explain.”
“Right, right.” Jimmy hit his palm to his forehead.
“Take a breath, maybe,” Gem suggested, a small smirk on her face.

Jimmy ignored her and instead took Joel’s hand and bounded off towards a small cabin just on the treeline.

“So, I found my sister-“ Jimmy waved off Joel’s congratulations, clearly eager – nay, impatient – to get to his point.
“And you remember how I was telling you about her friend?”
Joel nodded.

“BigB is your half-brother.” Jimmy smiled.
“What?” Joel was confused.
“Lizzie’s friend. He’s a sprite. His dad is your dad. We tracked it and double checked it like a thousand times.”

Joel turned to look for Gem. She looked just as lost as he was.
“So I’m part sprite?” Joel asked.
“Woodland,” Jimmy replied, “Actually, no, maybe it was swamp.”
“Wow.” Joel deadpanned. “Real great research there, Jim.”
Jimmy rolled his eyes. He knocked on the door and slowly, it opened.

The first thing that Joel saw was pink.

“This is Lizzie.” Jimmy said to him, before turning to Lizzie, “And this is Joel.”
“Hi,” Lizzie said. She smiled. Joel couldn’t help but smile back.
“Hello.”