Chapter 52 Torch Tail

Shakar's demeanor changed. His eyes narrowed as he regarded us, his lips twisted into a sneer of contempt.

"Whispering? Instilling knowledge? Pathetic," he spat, his voice dripping with scorn.

"You stand before me and offer such feeble excuses for your existence? Tending to crops and whispering to eggs? Normally such pathetic skills are worthless to me but luck so has it that you two shitty slaves are what I need. That is enough to earn your keep in my breeding farm."

His words cut through the air like a whip, lashing out at our fragile hopes.

"Don't ever forget. You are nothing but weaklings, broken and miserable, clinging to the scraps of usefulness you think you possess. I will give you two a chance to prove your worth because I think that even the lowliest of creatures have their uses."

Shakar leaned back on his throne, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"We are done here," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"You may continue with your menial tasks, for now. But know this: if you fail to prove your worth to me, you will suffer dearly. And believe me, the punishment will be painful. Now! Be gone with you! With the adventurer gone, I have no time to deal with sniveling slaves! Out of my sight! I can't look at that disgusting stick stuck in your ass! Despicable slave! One of my guards will inform you of your tasks very soon."

Without a word, Kaka and I scuttled out from Master Shakar's abode, eager to escape his oppressive presence. As we closed the door behind us, a sense of relief washed over us, but it was short-lived.

The two guards stationed outside barely contained their laughter as they looked upon Kaka's miserable condition. His body was far from recovered, with the torch handle sticking out from his butt, wagging like some grotesque parody of a dog's tail as he trembled with fear.

With our backs hunched and our spirits crushed, we cowered within ourselves as we made our way back to our shed. Along the way, we endured brutal humiliations, and insults raining down upon us with every step. Kaka had become the most popular slave to mock, a laughing stock for the evil goblins to entertain themselves with. They hurled insults at him, competing to see who could get more laughs out of his suffering and make him cry. Their mocking laughter cut through the air, a cruel reminder of our lowly status in Shakar's domain. 

We could hear their mocking laughter screaming in our ears, each insult like a dagger to our already broken spirits. But we said nothing, for what could we say in the face of such cruelty? We were nothing but lowly slaves, powerless to defend ourselves against the whims of our masters.

Back in our shed, we hugged each other and nestled in the corner, seeking refuge from the relentless cruelty outside. Kaka curled up in a small, miserable, broken ball, his body trembling with the weight of the day's humiliations. I wrapped myself around him, cocooning our abused bodies with my big, meaty ears. Despite everything, my meaty ears offered a glimmer of comfort in our bleak existence.

Kaka burst into sobs of sorrow and pain, finally allowing himself to cry from the insults and humiliation he had endured. His tears flowed freely, each one a testament to the deep wounds inflicted by the mocking jeers and laughter. I held him tighter, showering him with tiny kisses over his wrinkled, scarred forehead and whispering gentle words of compassion, love, and encouragement.

"It's okay, Kaka. You are a strong gobbie. Kaka, shhh, it's okay, it's okay. You're safe now, with me. No more mean goblins here," I murmured softly, pressing my lips to his forehead.

Kaka's sobs intensified, his body trembling against mine.

 "Why... why do they hurt us so? Why do us so? We are goblins like them, like them. We feel pain and love. Why do they not care for us? Why hurt and insult us so? Humiliate us so?" he cried out, his voice choked with anguish.

"Shhh, they don't understand," I replied, stroking his head tenderly.

 "They're just nasty goblins, they don't know how special we are, how important we are. I love you, Kaka. You are my family. You're my Dada and Muma, Kaka. My everything."

"But... but the torch... it hurts so much, we can't remove it, and with it stuck in my stinky hole, I will be picked on even worse, but that's not all; they will pick on you too because of me and I can't... I can't protect you from them. I'm powerless, I'm sorry, little Hermit. Because of me, they will hurt you too," he whimpered, his sobs echoing in the small shed.

"I know, I know, It's okay, you protected me enough. Thank you," I said, my voice filled with empathy.

 "But you're strong, Kaka. You're the strongest goblin I know. Remember how you take care of the hatchlings? How you teach them before they're even born? How gentle and caring you were with them? You're amazing, Kaka. And that is not all, you put your body first to protect us at any cost, no matter what monstrosity stood before us, you always tried to protect us all. You're my beloved Kaka, you're my family. My precious."

Kaka sniffled, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes. 

"You... you really think so?"

"Yes, I really think so," I affirmed, nodding vigorously.

 "You're the best caretaker, the best teacher. And you're my family. I love you, Kaka. We'll survive this, I promise."

"But... but what if Shakar... what if he decides we're not useful enough?" Kaka's voice was a mix of fear and desperation.

"Then we'll show him," I said firmly, "We'll show him how hard-working we are. We'll work harder, and be better. We'll survive, Kaka. For each other."

Kaka nestled closer to me, his body slowly relaxing as he found solace in my words. 

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Shhh, you don't need to thank me," I replied, my heart aching with love and compassion for my beloved caretaker. 

"Just rest now. We'll need our strength for tomorrow. And remember, you're never alone. I'm here, always."

I did my best to comfort my beloved caretaker. To me, he was more than just a fellow slave; he was my most precious, my only family. Kaka was my Dada and Muma, the one who nurtured me and kept me safe in this harsh world. His presence was a lifeline, a reminder that even in the darkest times, there was still love and tenderness to be found. Without Kaka, I would have perished a long time ago.

As Kaka's breathing steadied and his sobs faded into quiet sniffles, I held him close, my big meaty ears cocooning us in a protective embrace. The world outside was harsh and unforgiving, but at that moment, we found a small island of comfort and safety in each other's arms. And for now, that was enough.

Kaka cried himself to sleep in my arms, and I soon followed, knowing that this would be our last peaceful rest. Our promised time to recover had run out, and from now on, we would face the same brutal treatment as the rest of the slaves: no food for days and relentless beatings. Though it was still morning, I decided to sleep through the day and night, hoping to recover as much as possible before the inevitable harshness of the next day.

When the new day came, an orc stomped into our shed, his heavy footsteps jolting us awake. He barked orders at Kaka, barely able to keep a straight face as he saw Kaka trembling in fear, his makeshift tail wagging.

"You, torch-tail! Pffffst..." the orc sneered, pointing a thick finger at Kaka.

 "You will be looking after the new hatchery we finished digging. Pair up with your new buddy Grill and get to work! But be warned! If you fail, the punishment will be long and painful. So painful that you beg us to kill you, so you better not screw up!"

Kaka's eyes widened with fear, but he nodded quickly, not daring to speak. It was not the first time Kaka had to look after the hatchery, over his long years of being a slave, Kaka knew all there was on how to nurture healthy goblin slave eggs. 

The orc then turned his menacing gaze toward me.

"And you, shity runt!" he growled, his voice dripping with scorn. 

"You'll be working in the crop field as usual. With Grill off the field, you'll be doing his share as well, so you better do a good job, or I'll cut belts of skin from your back and lash you with them as punishment."

With a heavy stomp of his feet, the orc urged us, "Go! You shitty slaves, what are you waiting for? Go to work!"

Before we could scuttle through the door, the orc couldn't resist taking a jab at Kaka.

 "And torch tail! Don't wag your wooden tail too hard, or you'll start a fire! Bragagaghaa!"

The orc's laughter echoed in our ears as we hurried out of the shed. Kaka's face was a mask of shame and fear, but I gave him a reassuring nod, trying to muster any courage I had left.

"Don't listen to him, Kaka," I whispered as we parted ways, heading towards the hatchery and the crop fields.

 "Just remember, we're strong, and we'll survive."

Kaka's eyes met mine for a brief moment, a flicker of hope within the fear.

 "Thank you, little Hermit, thank you," he whispered back, his voice trembling.

With me and Kaka parting ways toward our tasks, I looked back at how miserably Kaka scuttled toward the new hatchery. The guards along his way hurled insults and bullied him, throwing pebbles at him or spitting. They threw dirt at him, the clumps hitting his bruised and beaten body. Kaka flinched with each impact but kept moving forward, his eyes downcast and shoulders hunched in shame. The stick stuck in his butt wagged awkwardly with each step, a constant reminder of his humiliation.

One particularly cruel guard stuck out his spear, tripping Kaka. He fell hard onto the ground, the spear's handle digging painfully into his side. The guards squealed in hysterical laughter, doubling over and slapping their knees at the sight.

"Get up, torch-tail!" one of them shouted between laughs.

 "Don't just lay there, you've got work to do!"