Journey

“[[You / Thing!(?) Get up / Move(?)!]]”
Cass jerked awake with a ragged panicky gasp and, blinking, glanced around her surroundings in confusion, her heart sinking as she realised this was all still real
“[[Get up! / Move(?)!]]”
This was day three
“[[Okay, okay]]” Cass grumbled, sitting up along with the others, their chains rattling as they stirred in the early pre-dawn gloom
Rubbing her face with her filthy hands before letting them fall back in into her lap, she sighed and curled her fingers to peer down at her blackened and broken nails
She felt and no doubt looked absolutely foul
“[[Do(?)!]]” Scarface yelled, cracking his whip and prompting the Ssala around her to clamber to their feet, their upward motion pulling Cass up too, Sanu’s nervous fingers encouraging her at her elbow
Smiling at the smaller female, taking care not to bare her teeth and cause offence, Cass silently reached a hand out to touch her companion’s forearm in thanks
Amidst the growls and shouts of the other blue demons or Haruk as Cass was pretty sure they were called, the other greys were slowly stirring, cajoled up and onto their feet with whips and the ever present threat of brutality
It was the start of another day

The group Cass was with had met with the other Haruk and Ssala, not long after they had cut through the generator caves to emerge out into jungle on the other side of the tunnel system; and while there had been no sign of the other blue “demons” that had gone on to attack their camp, the very fact that Cass hadn’t seen any sign of Jay yet was making her deeply worried for his wellbeing
“[[Get up! / Move(?)!]]” Scarface growled nearby – Cass wasn’t sure what the word he spoke actually meant, but it seemed to be used interchangeably when he wanted them to start moving or do something
The old, scarred Haruk cracked his whip again and the gang she was chained in began moving, Cass’s aching muscles protesting at the prospect of another day hurrying through the jungle and maintaining the punishing pace that she hoped was the one reason Jay hadn’t managed to catch up with her yet
He had to be coming for her
Hadn't he?
She didn't even like to consider the possibiity that he might be dead or that he might not be bothered about coming to her aid
Maybe he was having trouble tracking them?
Knowing Jay, Cass didn’t think that likely, but she was grasping at straws, hoping that he hadn’t been killed and the rest of the cretins she was forced to associate with hadn’t just elected to abandon her
Okay, okay... That (in one or two cases) was unfair
They probably either couldn’t find her or had, more likely, just assumed she had been killed in the attack
For all she knew, she might even be the last human left alive!
Whatever the case, she glumly reflected as she was pulled along through the trees, it seemed that she was on her own for the time being, and even in spite of her much vaunted intellect she couldn't see a way out of her current situation that wouldn't get her killed

Chained in four separate gangs, the twenty or so grey skinned Ssala hurried through the jungle, spurred onward with whips and threats from the huge Haruk slavers, who loped easily along beside them, Scarface an almost constant presence, ensuring Cass was never far from his sight
Breakfast, the same as on the previous days was grabbed on the go as they hastened through the forest, Sasawi, the taller of the three males chained in the gang with Cass, making sure she got some of the sweet tasting, juicy fruits that he and the others snatched from the trees around them as they moved
Talking was almost completely forbidden, the few words Cass had picked up having been garnered during muttered introductions and whispered dialogue amongst her companions, or from what had been yelled at her by the Haruk. Instead Cass jogged along in silent misery; fearful of being at the receiving end of one of the slavers randomly administered punishment beatings, and worrying almost constantly about both Jay and what her own fate was to be

At around midday, the group reached a wide river, where, waiting for them in the shimmering sunlight, was another Haruk, lounging idly, guarding three large outrigger canoes that had been dragged up onto a sedimentary bank on the inside of a lazy meander in the river
Dog tired, sheathed in sweat and feeling sick and dizzy from dehydration, Cass sank gratefully to the ground with the Ssala, waiting while water skins were thankfully filled and passed around, and the canoes were prepared by their captors
Squinting out across the river in the sunlight as a couple of the Haruk dragged the canoes down into the water while the others stood guard, Cass frowned at the sight of a half dozen huge animals wading around in the shallows on the far side of the river; their elongated heads atop long necks dipping gracefully in and out of the water
What the smeg were those she wondered?
Dinosaurs!?
She silently shook her head, hardly daring to speculate what this place was going to throw at her next

One by one, the captive Ssala were loaded and chained onto the canoes, Cass closely watching the process with eager eyes, tensing in anticipation at the possibility of being presented with an escape opportunity
Evidently she wasn’t the only one with the same idea, as one of the Ssala in the gang loaded before hers suddenly bolted when he was unchained; but the slavers, apparently ready for just such an attempt fell on him and literally tore him apart with their claws, his bubbling shrieks cut mercifully short as his blood briefly fountained from his ruined throat and his ragged and twitching corpse was thrown down amongst the other Ssala by way of a stark warning
When it came to Cass’s turn to be loaded like cargo onto the canoe she was every bit as meekly compliant as the rest of her captive companions

-------------------------------

The journey after that was much less arduous, and although Cass got sunburned on the first day out on the river, giving rise to much consternation and perplexion amongst her captors, once she had managed to convey the concept of too much sun being bad for her and a crude shelter had been erected, the next three days went much more smoothly until the canoes finally paddled around a bend in the river to arrive at their ultimate destination
“Hyrasamoura” Sanu, sat next to her, whispered, glumly nodding up at the huge, towering edifice that had just hoven into view
Stunned, Cass frowned out at her first sight of the city, taking in the sprawling and chaotic collection of buildings crowding the river wharf, and the massive ruined building, festooned in creepers and vines that loomed large in the distance behind them
Shaking her head at the huge structure, she chuckled mirthlessly at what was unmistakably the remains of an ancient and ruined spaceport departure terminal

<ooc>
After waking with amnesia, Jaxx will have had approximately an hour of contact with Cass in the morning before she went off to search the Hitcher’s caves, during which time she will likely have avoided any and all contact with him, since she views him as dangerous psychotic in need of a good hard culling
This means that the “Evil Princess” bollocks is just more tedious metagaming
</ooc>