Little sacrifices

'Ow did it break? Fuck...'

Alyce thought as he hurriedly slumped from wall to wall, trying to reach his home. It was already dawn when the group left him alone. They left and had satisfied grins on their faces while fixing up themselves like it was nothing. They didn't even bother to clean the mess theyv'e made with Alyce.

The boy laid awake all night and as of today at this time. His eyes still grazed upon the wooden ceiling above him, half-opened as it was dead tired from last night. It was rough he thought. He tried to sit up straight but failed realizing he has no strength left. His body was covered with stickiness, red bruises and kiss marks all over.

He grumbled at the sight of his own body and turned his head around searching for his clothes. Thankfully it was clean sort of, but at least it smells just like when he came out of his bath last night. He hurriedly put on the clothes ignoring the pain he witnesses and stood up.

'Fuck all those old geezers, it damn right hurts'

Alyce felt the pain rushing to his spine when he chose to take steps to exit the room. Groaning and panting he finally got out of the room. And only to be greeted by a cold breeze. So cold but he has to move on, otherwise more will come.

His home was not far from where the group took him, he limped while walking on the road, a few beastlings look at him, stare at him but then came to mind their own business. It was not an unusual sight for them as the whole village is full of beastlings. Everybody would love to help those who have been victims but didn't bother to take a look when they saw the familiar blonde kid all beaten up.

Alyce was not beautiful in their eyes unlike his younger brother Alice, they stood from afar creating a distance as Alyce passes by them. Alyce didn't mind. In fact, it's better that they kept a distance against him, it was all humiliation that he thought.

'Come on people, stop staring already. Looks can kill ya know'

It was only in his thoughts that he screamed and complained all of these. No one will even mind if he was gone, some kind of a nice beastling people they are. He scooted off with the thought.

Finally arriving on his small hut he let himself in. Seeing his brother still asleep on the closet he hid yesterday, Alyce felt guilty. His brother probably felt worse than him on the mental side. A young child being brainwashed by a woman and was tested on beauty products all day, and with the small hut along with his older brother that has nothing to give. Pretty disappointing.

Alyce left at the sight of his brother and heads toward their bathroom. Consisting of a half bar of soap, a faucet, and an average size tub. He locks the door quietly and took off his clothes.

'I smell so bad right now'

Pinching his nose as he went and turning the faucet on. Letting it flow the coldest temperature of water especially in the atmosphere of the dawn. It once reached full of the tub, he closed it shut and dip a toe.

'Brr, why is it so cold'

Hesitated but continued to submerge his whole body to the tub. He was greeted by a freezing water, jolting his ears and tail as he allowed the water to surround his body until to his neck.

"Eek, why the heck is it so cold in the mornings? I really miss the warm showers back at home!"

Alyce shivered not moving for awhile to settle with the coldness of the water. He then reach out for the small cloth on the side and the bar of soap on it's opposite. Scrubbing it together as it made a few bubbles, he scrub it against his skin.

He might look like a quiet kid with a blank face bathing but in his mind, oh boy.

'Ayshh,Imissmyshower,Imissmywarmtowels,Imissmy room,Imissthefood,Imissmylife,whywouldyoueven transfermybodytothisworld,anon-techrealm? Aarghh, this bath is freezing!'

He sat there scrubbing his body in a high speed power mode then washed up. He took off and dried himself with a towel and put on clean clothes. Alyce exited the room and headed outside again setting up for his work.

As usual always work, breaks only at lunch and night, errands made him go back and forth around the village. But today was not any other day.

A sudden blow of the town's trumpet blew across the village alerting all the beastlings. It wasn't really common to them to have the trumpet blown. Brown smoke rumbled in a distance along with horses running. Some people squinted their eyes before realizing the situation.

'Humans'

Alyce muttered under his breath, it wasn't that difficult to figure it out. The whole village is mostly been an outcast to the neighboring villages, it would be weird when their own kind pays them for a visit.

As the men in horses came closer, Alyce saw 3 wagons behind it, with cages and ropes on sight. The townspeople also saw the belongings and started panicking.

'RUN'

'SLAVE TRADERS'

'HUMANS'

The whole place was in chaos as women tugs their children with them, some clutches their belongings, and most hid in their homes. Alyce was also one of them zigzag running on the road towards his house. People bump and push one another thankfully Alyce was able to get through.

He found Alice confused with Mrs. Rachelle's hand rested on his shoulder. Both look so devastated from whats happening right now. All they can do was to go out together and check the situation. Whether is it safe to run or just hide.

Mr. Flinch, the fox-beast mayor of the town greeted the men who just arrived at the gate. His ears shooked down as if he was about to cry in fear. The men didn't payed attention to it and more likely to roam around the village. All of the people trembled in fear and held their loved ones tight. It is common knowledge that humans use beastlings as slaves and pets, especially children.

Alice didn't know what is happening but clearly reached out for his brother's hand. Seeing everyone tremble made him tremble too. Alyce looks down and grab the small trembling hand, squeezing it hard but didn't hurt. Alyce too wondered.

'Who are these men, what kind of world have I actually went to. What do they want'

Alyce was only a minor when he'd been thrown to this world, the body he has been living right now was not his so neither his sibling relationship with the owner's body. But if he was sent here for a reason, he wouldn't just watch anyone try taking Alice. Brother by blood or not, he grew with Alice, eat and sleep with Alice. He then grew a soft spot for the young boy.

"A little sacrifice for the good of your village will not hurt anyone right? Maybe give us money"

"Add some women and children too"

"They got high prices in the markets these days"

They laughed it all off seeing the townspeople grew more fear, women and children are in the edge of holding back tears when they realize what those men wanted.

One of the men started going all around each families, forcing them to give valuables. Most have been pushed to give up their child and women, anyone who stood up against the men was immediately slashed down by their blades.

Finally one man was closed to where the three were standing on. Mrs. Rachelle glanced on Alyce and Alice, clearly Alyce had no use for her plus Alice is much more easy to train and raise. She pulled Alice's body behind her making the younger one abandon his older brother's hand.

Alyce noticed this and look back but was pushed the woman's foot. Just as the man arrived on their spot, he fell on the ground with a thud in front of him. Clearly she doesn't want this boy, is what the man thought.

'Did that old hag just push me? what's the big deal'

Alyce held his back while grunting in pain. Looking back at the woman above him, she just smiled faintly enough for him and the man to only see her expression.

Looking closely as the man bent his knees to take a closer look on the boy. He noticed the white ears and fluffy tail sticking out of Alyce's head and clothes. His eyes sticked out in a flash as he had a sudden thought.

'Holy Jackpot, its rare to find rabbit species these days, I thought they all died or something.'

'We could sell this kid in a hefty price!'

His face crooked in a creepy smile, taking ahold of Alyce's arm away from the floor. Alyce also got shocked on whose holding him, he was drag away by the man to join the others. Alyce can only look back and see Mrs. Rachelle covering Alice's eyes and ears. Alyce tried to shout for his brother but was cut off by a gag that blocked him from speaking.

He was pushed in the 2nd wagon along with other kids his age, or might be even younger than him. All were whimpering and sniffling, followed by moans that were once words. They didn't tie the hands but chained every child's foot to the ground. Soon entered the wagon about 2 men with large knives and whips hanged on their belt.

It was unknown to the victims in the wagons on what was happening outside, all they can hear was crying and shouting their names of their parents. Not one did Alyce even heard his name shouted, it wasn't because of people worrying about him but because there was no one left for him. Sure his younger brother stayed but does he know? That his older brother was pushed to become a sacrifice instead of him?

Alyce was all alone, even in his past life. He lied, his parents are already long gone and the house he lived was his grandparent's house. But they don't come home and often leaves for a vacation, a trip to the other countries they say. The money he used for his education were the only money left from his parents.

He didn't pay attention to the crying children sorrounding him and pulled his legs closer to his chest. Burrying his face down to his knees with his ears tucked in. Alyce closed his eyes as the wagon has started to move, he didn't care anymore, whatever God has laid out in his fate, he didn't care anymore.