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\n\t\t\t\t\t| " | \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe sharp groaning of engines jolted Eolin awake out of her momentary slumber. The entire chamber rumbled and rattled from the shift of the clearly aged airship's flight path. Although the bound dragoness had no outside view from the confines of her small cage, she felt herself descending and knew that the ship was nearing the end of its journey... and the beginning of her own. As if the degrading cage wasn't enough, Eolin was still restrained by the same steel shackles ever since her capture a week prior. Her arms and wrists were twisted and cuffed behind her back, with a harness of chains wrapping over and around her neck, chest, and waist to deny the dragoness any freedom of movement. Her ankles were likewise hobbled by a pair of fetters linked by cruelly short length of chain, which constantly caught her movement short when she was forced to board the ship and would no doubt cause the same troubles upon leaving the ship as well. Despite the bondage, Eolin spent a good length of the initial trip screaming and kicking, throwing out any means of resistance she could. However, the modern chains were too strong for the young dragoness to break, and her protests were quickly silenced with gag fashioned from a nearby oil-stained linen—a foul taste that made Eolin wince every time she unconsciously thought about it. The cage refused to budge, and Eolin eventually tired herself out, resigned to the fact that there was no way out. The only comfort Eolin could find within the cage was her tail that was fortunately left unrestrained. The furred tail wrapped around Eolin as she buried her head in helpless frustration, unable to shut out the grim prospects that raced through her exhausted mind. The loud clanging of the airship touching down marked the end of momentary solace, and Eolin yelped as the resulting force harshly shifted the cage about. The dragoness could hear the airship gradually powering down as the mechanical heart idled into slumber, its engine's beastly roar now replaced with eerie silence. Eolin's ears perked up when she heard echoes of multiple footsteps approaching the chamber entrance. She could see multiple shadows covering the slit of light shining through the bottom of the door as the figures undid its locks. The metal door swung open, revealing several figures—some who had their weapons already drawn. "Free ride's over, princess," one of the figures greeted—a white wolf holding a leather whip. Eolin instantly recognized the wolf as one of the bounty hunters involved in her capture. A firey contempt coursed through her expression, but bound and gagged as she was, the dragoness could only huff in anger as the wolf and few others approached her. "Hope you had a good rest," continued the wolf as he unlocked the cage, "...because you'll need it for the trip ahe-" The wolf's sentence was abruptly cut short by the now-unlocked cage door immediately slamming into his face as Eolin launched her feet forward, sending the wolf recoiling back in pain. The others quickly trained their weapons on Eolin when the wolf held up his hand. "Why you...!" the wolf scowled, clutching his now-bleeding nose. "Still got some energy in you, huh? That's fine. Oh that's fine, alright..." the wolf continued as he got back on his feet. Eolin only returned a hateful glare. Even a thousand kick to the wolf's face would not have been enough after what he put her through. She drew her legs back in to ready another kick as the wolf approached the cage again. This time however, the wolf was ready. He easily anticipated Eolin's movement, drawing himself back right as the dragoness again launched her feet forward. Eolin yelped as the wolf grabbed her now-exposed ankle chains and yanked it outward with a harsh pull, sending the dragoness tumbling out of the cage. Eolin tried to hastily recover, but as soon as she opened her eyes she saw the bottom of the wolf's heavy boot crashing down on her face at full force, causing the dragoness to black out briefly. "Filthy... piece... of... trash...!" the wolf growled as he continued to stomp on and kick the downed dragoness, each strike drawing out muffled cries of pain from Eolin. Tears streamed down Eolin's face, cursing herself for her lack of strength—unable to even hold back her whimpers as the wolf retrieved and raised his whip to continue the abuse. Before the wolf could make the first swing of the whip, a hand reached out to grab his wrist. One of the armed soldiers—the avian, gave a stern stare to the furious wolf. "Don't forget the deal," the avian said calmly, "the prisoner -this time- is to be delivered intact." The wolf took a moment to consider the avian's words, lowering the whip as he remembered the bounty at hand. He huffed and retreated, tending to his scuffed face as the remaining crew took over. The avian now turned to bruised dragoness slumped on the ground. "Get up. I will only say once," the avian ordered, towering over Eolin, who was still coughing and gasping from earlier beating. Two soldiers approached to force Eolin back to her feet, but the dragoness angrily brushed them off, fully intending to raise herself under her own will and retain what little resolve she had. With her arms pinned behind her back and unable to offer any leverage, it took Eolin all her energy to slowly but surely stand back up, struggling to keep her balance and breathing heavily through the gag as she prepared herself for further misery. A length of chain was leashed to Eolin's metal collar as she was led to the exit ramp. The wolf eventually rejoined the company, shooting daggers from his eyes towards the dragoness, plenty eager to give his whip an excuse to taste flesh. The avian turned and stared up and down at the wolf, as if the soldier was expecting additional baggage. "Where's the coat? It's gonna be cold outside, even for her," the avian asked in a derisive concern that was clearly intended more for Eolin's condition as a prize than her general well-being. It was at this point that she noticed the thick clothing everyone was wearing, and quickly realized how much colder it had gotten. Just how far was she taken? Eolin's breath quickened while staring at her own clothes—a thin blouse and short skirt that have seen better days, not to mention hopelessly inadequate in shielding her from the elements. Her shackles would also no doubt begin to bite even harder into her flesh as the chains eventually chilled from the freezing weather. The wolf scoffed at the avian's notion. "You think some breeze is gonna to do her in?" he retorted, staring at Eolin with scowl. The hunter walked up to Eolin, grabbing her hair by the fist and pulling it towards his face. "Well?! Afraid of little cold?" The wolf hissed, yanking his grip back and forth, causing Eolin to let out a stifled yowl with every tug. "Then beg for it!" he taunted while releasing his grip, forcing the dragoness to stumble and nearly fall on her side. Eolin stared back at the wolf with teary yet enraged eyes, wanting nothing more than to shatter her shackles apart and tear into the canine. The dragoness bore her fangs through the gag, plunging her teeth deep into the sturdy cloth despite the revolting taste of used oil running down her throat. Even though her body had little energy to spare, Eolin remained bitterly defiant towards the wolf, turning away from his gaze. She bit into her gag in contemptuous silence, standing in front of the ramp gate with her head held high. The wolf let out a sharp huff, roughly adjusting his winter coat as he stood back. The avian signaled one of the crew to open the exit. The gate mechanism groaned to life as the ramp slowly lowered open, letting the outside air in, along with its elements. The ramp did not even make halfway down before Eolin flinched from the burst of freezing air rushing into the airship. The dragoness quickly steeled herself, refusing to give the wolf any further satisfaction. Eolin stood her ground as the ramp was fully lowered, now taking on the full brunt of the brutal weather that stung all over her exposed body. She was exhausted. She was in pain. She was barely keeping herself from shivering in the cold. Nonetheless, she lifted her foot and took a step forward into the snowy haze, her ankle chains rattling behind her with every movement.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t | \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t