The city of Pureshear was a dazzling big town with a massive stone wall surrounding it.
The gates and walls were made of big sturdy blocks of stone covered in white lime covering to give it a clean look that causes awe to people who travel to the city.
Being known for its architecture and richness, the town was swarmed with people who tried their luck to earn a quick buck and every now and then someone succeeded, giving the town another rich person to boast about.
The roads in the rich district were made of smooth cobble pathways and were kept clean all the time. The stores had Glass pane windows and many guards patrolled the area. Whoever lived there didn't need to worry about heating or food or a roof over their heads.
But if someone walks just a few minutes out of the center of the town, they are immediately greeted with dirty roads, homes that are clearly in need of repair, and many beggars or homeless people.
Even further out and you found a broken-down building here and there, either a victim of fire or simply old age with no repairs done as the owners couldn’t afford it. Forcing them to leave the town if they had the means to do so.
In one of those houses, in its cellar to be exact, we can see three young girls close together, trying to stay warm in that place, a small fire burning, just big enough to warm them, but small enough to catch no attention from the guards they tried to avoid. It was no secret that people like them, street urchins, were looked down upon or outright treated badly by other citizens and guards.
The girl that caught the most attention, a young 14-year-old fenekin with light yellow fur covering her body, sat closest to the fire. Her head had white hair going down over her shoulders while big ears popped out from under them. The inside of her ears and the tip of her tail were a nice orange. She was dressed in an old and patched-up orange dress, slightly darker than her fur, with a just as patched-up jacked over it in a darker orange-red color.
Her name was Melisandre. Even with all the adversity this city gave her, she still had a confident and even slightly bossy look in her green eyes. Acting as the leader of the little group.
In front of her sat a younger-looking girl in her 13th year. A Pichu with light yellow fur covering all of her body except for her black tail and the tips of her low-hanging ears.
She sat in front of the fire, in her blueish-gray dress, in the same patched-up state that Melisandre’s clothes were in with a cute little fitting hat on top of her head.
The girl's name was Mercy and just as her name suggested she was a shy and nice girl. A lot more law-abiding than most street urchins in this town. The girl's hair on top of her head was an almost light golden color, hanging down over her shoulders, tied together on one side down at her hair's tips.
Next to Mercy sat the youngest-looking one even though the looks were deceiving as she was the second oldest. This girl was almost as old as Melisandre but her stature made her look like a young girl of maybe 9 or 10 years.
Her name was Diana and she was a cute buneary girl. Her brown fur went all the way up from her toes to her ears where it ended in a little cloud of fluff, looking quite soft. Her head was covered in fiery red hair, going down over her shoulders just like the other two's hair did. Her hair was bound similarly to Mercy’s.
The buneary girl was dressed in the least patched-up dress of the group, a very simple brown dress, reaching to her paws easily. Sometimes giving her trouble walking with how long it was for her.
She was even more held back than mercy, so shy that she barely talked with anyone other than her two friends, but when alone, she started to become quite mischievous. Her pinkish eyes showed the thoughts in her head whenever the three were alone, a little smirk on her lips.
But right now there was no smirk on her face, instead, all of them held their stomachs in hunger. It was slowly time for them to get some food, and they were lucky as the church's soup kitchen was open today.
The city had a big church in town that thankfully thought better of the homeless and the street urchins. Helping them every now and then with food.
The church was a big pillar in the whole town. from marriage ceremonies and Mediation in big fights to history preservation and schooling for the richer members of the city.
But they also helped the poor with food and sometimes offered little jobs for the few lucky ones. Although you had to be quite lucky to get one of the few jobs the church can afford to offer.
Melisandre got up and looked at the other two, smiling at them. “Let's go and get us the food they owe us.”
The other two got up too, nodding. Mercy looking a little uneasy. “ They don't owe us anything. B-but let's go.”
Diana just followed them as they crawled out of the cellar. Walking to the street, it didn't take long for the little group to start to hear whispers and feel eyes looking at them.
“ Do you see them? Such lowly things. They dirty this amazing town.”
“ Why do the guards even let them roam around freely?”
“No wonder this part is so dangerous with those thieves freely walking around.”
Melisandre ignored the comments. She was used to it by now. It still hurt, but she couldn't show weakness in front of her friends. After all, she was the leader.
Diana and Mercy on the other hand visibly shrunk in size as they heard the comments of the people around them.
Walking for a good 30 minutes, they were close to the church when a guard walked next to them and looked down on the girls, Melisandre gritted her teeth, prepared to run in case the guard decided to cause trouble for them. Thankfully he just scoffed at them and continued on his way, clearly having better to do than bothering some homeless girls.
Soon, the church came into sight and the three saw a big group of poor and mostly homeless people standing around. Some ate out of wooden bowls while others stood in a line to get their share. A few deacons stood behind tables, handing out bowls and filling them with stew as well as handing out pieces of bread.
The girls got in line behind the other people, waiting for their turn. Melisandre immediately started talking about how they should hurry and hand out the food they owed them and how it better tasted good while Mercy tried to argue that they were in fact not owed anything and that she should be thankful.
Quite a few of the people in the line scoffed at the girl and her bratty behavior. But none spoke to her, thinking it to be better if they ignored her instead.
A young deacon boy, just old enough to join the church, Handed them their bowls, He looked at Melisandre with a disapproving look but was taught not to say anything. He was a nice-looking eevee wearing a typical cassock that looked a bit too long for him.
After he handed them their bowl, the girls walked up and saw the next person. An elderly furret with a similar cassock. He broke off pieces of bread, handing each person a third of a loaf. He looked proud at the young boy for keeping his mouth shut while glaring at Melisandre for her bad behavior.
When she grabbed the bread, Melisandre humpf’d. “ That bread is hard again, don't you have anything better?”
The man tsked at her. “ no.” his short answer sent her to the next person. Mercy tried to push the girl to let it go while Diana just followed, looking even smaller than she was.
It didn't take long for them to reach the end of the line. A Lopunny woman in her 40s stood in front of them. Her Long ears hung low on her back. Long fuzzy orange hair almost looking like upside down fire, stood up from the end of the ears tips. Her head was a darker orange, going into light brown. She was dressed in a dark habit with sandals on her feet, covering her fiery orange-colored paws.
The older woman had gray hair on her head, bound together in an orderly and well-done braid. Small glasses laid on top of the woman's nose in front of her fiery orange eyes. Her name was Hazel and she was a well-known person here. Known to be serious and strict, but also well educated, helping in many things that less educated people couldn't deal with.
There were stories of her helping illiterate people when they asked for help, offering a helping hand where it was required. And then there were stories of her punishing new members of the church in quite… unique ways. Most of them were much more interested in doing well afterward.
Melisandre walked up to her and offered the bowl. “ This better be better than last time.”
The look that Hazel gave Melisandre made the Eevee boy flinch as he saw it but all that Hazel did was to give her a portion before turning to the next girl, ignoring her words.
The girl was young and stupid, it was not worth it to cause trouble in the open. Hazel didn't like her, she was too bratty and demanding. Not seeing she should be thankful for what she got and instead only wanting more.
As soon as the girls got their food they got to the side. Their bowls were filled with a steaming portion of stew with a dense piece of bread. Soft enough to suck up the stew's well-seasoned juice while so dense it was a bit hard to chew. But for them, it was a feast.
Most food they usually managed to scrap up was hard bread and old fruits. Maybe some meat or fish if they were lucky.
Mercy and Diana ate it slowly, enjoying the flavor and the warmth while Melisandre already finished, handing the bowl and spoon back before sitting next to her friends, waiting for them to finish as they sat on the stairs leading up to the church.
It took them another 20 minutes before they finished eating and stopped chatting. The two younger girls were quite happy now as the tasty meal filled their stomachs. Meanwhile, Melisandre ate fast to make sure to keep an eye on them, her eyes scanning the surroundings.
It happened only once but a guard caused trouble with another street urchin once, only leaving him alone when the church stepped in and sent the guard away.
The city was not a nice place to live if you had to live on the street.
Once they finished and Melisandre had some time to think. The group got up and headed out. Most people already left and the church’s workers carried the things inside.
Melisandre suddenly looked at her friends and spoke up.“ Hey guys. I will meet you at home, be careful that no one gives you trouble.”
And before they could mutter a word, she already slipped away into a back alley, leaving the two alone to figure out why she left and to hope she didn't get in trouble.
She waited for 40 minutes to make sure all of the people left and were inside before she sneaked towards the church, walking around the back towards the cellar hatchway she once spotted a week ago. It led straight into the church's storage room, cold enough to store food and other things.
Once there, she looked around to see if anyone spotted her before she opened the trapdoor and climbed down the stairs into the cool and badly lit room.
Looking around she spotted what she was after. A big shelf of different foods stood at the back of the room. Walking up to it, she looked around before she spotted a loaf of bread, just as dense as the previous one but big enough to feed them the next day.
Melisandre grabbed it, not wanting to steal more than she needed for her friends. After she grabbed it, she turned around only to yell out and dropping said bread onto the thankfully well-cleaned floor.
Hazel stood in front of her, an angry look on her face. Hazel had just finished putting away the last pieces of equipment when she went to the cellar to put away the leftover food that the church wouldn't finish today when she spotted the little girl standing right in front of the shelf grabbing bread. She slipped out of her sandals and walked closer. Her soft fur allowed her to approach without getting noticed, almost ghost-like. That behavior gave her many titles, some good, most bad.
Hazel looked down on the girl. “ I can overlook your behavior even if it gives a bad example to others. I can overlook you acting as if everything exists to please you. But I CANT accept you stealing from us, food that we use to feel other people as bad off as you.”
Melisandre couldn't even utter another word before Hazel grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the storage room into a smaller darker damp little place. If not for the dentist's chair in the middle it would look like a prison cell.
The said chair however did not look inviting. A massive block of wood with arm and leg rests containing metal restraints. The headpiece was the same to keep the patient from moving too much during a procedure. Two restraints for the neck and the forehead.
“n-No. Let go!” Melisandre was afraid now. Would they pull out her teeth or worse? She had quite some time to think about that as Hazel almost threw her on the chair and bound her arms first. Her legs followed closely with her head and neck going last. All she could move was her hip and chest, barely. The neck shackle felt especially tight around her, making her fear turn into a slight panic as it felt like she couldn't breathe normally, even if it was just her mind. The neckpiece left enough room for her to move the tiniest little amount.
Hazel looked at her, still angry. “ Since it seems that you are still hungry, I will give you something. Wait here.” She talked in an eerily calm voice as she left the room.
Tears ran down the scared girl's cheeks as she tried to get out of the chair. Her eyes flickered left and right in search of anything that could help her out only to find nothing.
The room was filled with the sound of her fast breathing and her whimpering.
Melisandre had 10 minutes of mental torture ahead of her before Hazel entered the room again. A bowl in her hand with a spoon in the other. By now Melisandre slightly calmed down enough to not be panicking anymore. The tears still flowed but her breathing slowed down. “ Be a good girl and eat it all. It would be a waste if you didn't.” her voice gave Melisandre a hint of what might come if she refused.
The girl however did not say a word, trying to act tough as she always did even though her cheek fur was drenched from tears. When Hazel walked up to her she could see and especially smell what the bowl contained.
The smell was quite bad and the look wasn't much better. It was a combination of raw fish, overripe apple, and tomato as well as pine nuts and what looked like edible fern all mushed together roughly to turn into a slimy soup with weird pieces. Melisandre had no clue where Hazel got that, but that was the last thing she thought about as Hazel already put some of it on a spoon.
“ You know, if you were still hungry, you could have just asked nicely for a bit more. I am happy to help you out here though. I will make sure you aren't hungry anymore afterward.”
Putting the bowl down on a wooden board mounted to the chair, she grabbed Melisandre’s chin and opened her mouth, gently at first but getting harder the more she resisted.
The girl opened her mouth soon after, trying to pull her head away only for the restraints to hold her still. The spoon soon entered her mouth and filled her with a quite bad taste. Closing her mouth, she tried to swallow only for her stomach to resist. Hazel could hear the girl gagging only to finally swallow, leaving her mouth empty and her stomach angry.
Melisandre started whimpering again only for Hazel to grab the next spoon and forcing it into her mouth. Tears started running again as she swallowed spoon after spoon, getting closer to feeling her stomach turning and churning in anger.
She managed two-thirds of the bowl before Melisandre couldn't take any more and started to resist, even the fear of punishment not enough to keep her swallowing. Hazel however didn't care and forced the weak girl's jaw open to put the next and the next spoon of the horrid sludge into her mouth.
By the last five spoons, Melisandre was outright crying and shaking. Hazel had to force her jaw shut to make sure that not one drop was leaving her mouth till the young girl swallowed it all.
Unaware that it was the last spoon, Melisandre used all her strength she had to keep her mouth shut, thinking there was more to come, causing Hazel to lift a foot up to the chair’s footrest where the girl's leg was and stomp hard enough onto the girls own toes to cause her to yell out in pain. Giving Hazel the time to shove the last spoon into her mouth.
By now, Melisandre was starting to beg. “P-please. I am full. I am not hungry anymore. Please let me go. Please, don't make me eat more!”
Hazel looked down at the girl, her anger left her quite some time ago. “ What do you say when someone feeds you?”
Melisandre, still shaking, was barely able to look into the piercing eyes of the older woman.” T-thank you for the m-meal.”
Satisfied, Hazel opened the neck and headrest, followed by the rest of the restraints, letting the girl fall onto the floor on her knees. She left the room with the bowl, giving Melisandre enough time to get on her feet again before Hazel returned with a loaf of bread, freshly baked and still warm.
Hazel looked at the sobbing mess. “ you are going to share it exactly one-third each. understood?”
Melisandre looked up at her, not believing she would still give her a loaf of bread, and nodded. Tenderly grabbing the bread. “ T-thanks. I w-will.”
With that, Hazel nodded at her and grabbed her arm again, this time less tight than in the beginning. She led her to the trapdoor that still hung open and let go. “ Never do that again, now leave.”
Melisandre rushed out as fast as her weak legs let her, her stomach still grumbling angrily. She held the loaf of bread in her arms like it was her most prized possession as she ran back home to her friends. Hazel's voice followed her. “ Next time I will think of a ‘better’ recipe, so keep your word.”
Slowly, The sound of her feet hitting the road grew more and more silent as she disappeared into the city. The sound of the trapdoor closing and locking was the last thing that was heard in the unusually silent part of the town.
