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Hello back. Well, I tried to write this chapter as good as I could. Enjoy.

16. Remember the day

Shadows appeared behind the door. Voices muttered with each other. Jake held his breath when someone inserted a key into a padlock of the little gate.
He blinked when the door opened. The light wasn't strong, but he realized now that the walls were wooden.
Three, no, four animals stood in the doorframe. A fifth person appeared and was a little bigger than the others, but the main person seemed to be the first one, who stood in the first line.
"Well, well," he heard a mockingly man voice. "Our living merchandise is woken up."
The animal came near and stopped very close in front of Jake's cage. The rattlesnake narrowed his eyes. The animal lifted his hat a little and he saw in a fox face. His eyes were penetrating, but Jake's eyes met him like a wave of hellfire.
He rattled with his tail and a rattling threateningly sound filled the room. But his captors left it cold.
The fox chuckled. "I see, you aren't in good mood, but don't worry, you will not stay her for the rest of your life."
His glance wandered down at Beans.
"I see, your bitch is still sleeping, isn't she?"
Jake narrowed his eyes because of that disrespectful, insulting language.
The fox looked behind himself and moved his hand.
"Dig, Math. Wake her up."
An old badger in sweated dirty clothes and a raccoon with ugly nails and yellow teeth picked up the still unconscious lizard from the floor. Every one of them grabbed her on her bonded arms and hauled her over to a wooden box. They sat her down on it began to shake her a little.
The fox paid his attention back at the captured rattlesnake.
Jake tried to analyse details of the fox, despite the dim light in the room.
The fox was a little centimetres higher than Beans, short fur, his nose wasn't long, his clothes covered with dust, and long coat, which was a little dirty as if he were walked through mud. Under his coat were two colts and maybe other weapons. The badger and the raccoon seemed to be one of his henchmen. Also the other figures. The bigger animal kept standing in the door. Maybe to make sure that nobody could escape. Jake couldn't really say what kind of animal it was. The fifth person leaned against the wall and watched the room with watchfully eyes. It was a wolf, thin but not skinny. In contrast to the others, he wore much cleaner clothes. With white shirt, dark grey pants, a black west and black cowboy hat, he stood there and said no single word. All were in the middle age. Just the badger seemed to be the older one.
Jake didn't move. His captors shouldn't have the pleasure to see him fighting for nothing or let him desperate. If they wanted to kill him, he would look at the death with firmly eyes. Despite he feared the death more or less. He never was the loser. Always he had been the winner. But this was the third time that someone threatened him with death.
The fox twirled his less whiskers. "Sorry for your state," he said, which sounded more sarcastically. "But prisoners aren't allowed to speak. Don't hope that you could give me a good telling-off."
He smiled, and it was a sardonic, mischievous grin. Jake hissed through his bonded mouth and wished he could smash him. But he had to be calm. It was impossible to break out of here and without a chance to fight back; it was useless.
The two men were still busy to wake up Beans. They patted her cheeks several times, it didn't take much time, and Beans began to moan sleepily.
"Hey, she is waking up," the raccoon said.
The fox rubbed his fingers bored. "Nice for her. I don't like time-wasting."
Math took off his hat and fanned fresh air to her.
Slowly Beans blinked and began to move her head. The poor female lizard had no idea what happened. She looked irritated. First she was totally confused to see the strange persons around her. She closed her eyes and lowered her face weakly.
"Hey, woman, your nap time is over," the raccoon muttered and patted her cheek again.
"Let m-me ma-ke it," Dig stuttered, maybe because of alcohol.
"Dig!" the fox hissed warningly.
The badger winced and stepped back.
"Hey," Math said and began to shake Beans again. "I think Karl and Ethan gave her too much of that stuff."
"Continue. I want to see what kind of state she is."
Math grinned evilly. "I don't think that she is handicapped. But some girl must be stupid to embark with a brainless snake."
Jake hissed through the nose with rage.
The fox glared at him mockingly. "Kind of truth inside, isn't it? You did never thought that someone would catch you like that, did you?"
Jake narrowed his eyes with rage.
The fox formed his mouth and contorted his face theatrically.
"Oh, oh. Someone is looking at me very angry. Are you annoyed?"
Jake snorted with disgust and the fox nodded with wide grin. "That's what I thought. You will bring me a lot of money."
"You wanted to say, for us," Math corrected.
"Of course. I just spoke for the gang."
He leaned against the bars of the cage calmly and this made Jake very mad.
The fox scratched his chin. "I hope my little spider didn't fear you. Don't worry, its venom will not kill you. No. I need you alive."
Meanwhile Beans managed to keep awake and muffled something through the gag. The fox turned around to her.
"I didn't forget you, sweety."
He came closer. Beans didn't know what he wanted and looked at him unsurely. The fox eyed her in a way as if she would be a car or something. The leader grabbed her chin gently with his fingers. Beans clenched her fists.
"Nice prey which we have. I'm sure you will make good compensation for my hard work."
Now more awake, Beans turned away her face distastefully and kicked with her tied feet against him. The fox jumped aside. The men murmured rebukingly.
Beans looked at him with venom in her eyes.
The fox laughed mockingly. "Ho, ho. You are a wild thing, aren't you?"
Beans looked at him angrily. "I see you need someone who teaches you manners."
He sat next beside her on the box and laid his arm on her shoulders.
Beans was about to push him away but then something blinked and she froze.
"Na, na, Did you want to hurt yourself?"
Beans didn't dare to breath and looked at the knife which the fox held in front of her face.
"It would be sad for your face to cut it."
Beans could do nothing than to watch helpless, without a chance to fight back.
The fox bent closer and Beans body clenched with disgust.
"Can I h-old her, to-o?" the badger muttered and grabbed her other shoulder side.
The fox loosed his grip of Beans and kicked him in the shin.
"No," he warned darkly. "That cooky is mine. Your job is to make sure that the snake doesn't run away."
"You mean, slither or crawl away?" the raccoon Math chuckled.
"What else."
Beans's eyes wandered at Jake, who couldn't help her. The rattlesnake laid tied, gagged and captured there. It didn't go without notice that the snake was before an inner explosion of rage.
Also the fox's eyes wandered at him. He chuckled nastily. "Don't worry, you can be sure, I will take good care for her."
His hand wandered more down and grabbed the end of Beans's dress. Beans screamed through her gag shrilly, when the boss lifted her dress higher over her knees.
She pressed her eyes together. "Nghh!"
That was enough for Jake. He rattled with his rattle like crazy and tried to come free so that the cage shook dangerously. The others stepped back winced, but the fox only laughed.
He smiled mockingly and released Beans's dress for her relief.
"Oh, you don't like to see how I flirt with your girl, do you?"
He stood up and left Beans. The lizard leaned back quickly and pressed her legs closer on the wooden box.
"As you wish." The fox rubbed his chin. "We should amuse us after we completed the sale. Math?"
Math went beside him. "Yes, sir?"
"Ask after our clients. Say, we have something special for selling. A famous special rattlesnake."
Jake didn't believe what he heard.
The fox seemed to guess his thoughts and grinned widely. "Be a good boy and don't make troubles. If you do nothing, we can sell you in a good state. If not…"
He reached into his side pocket, and with a fast hand movement, the knife slammed on the floor. The language was clear, but he seemed to know that Jake would never obey.
He turned around and his eyes met Beans. Beans winced a little, but she was also angry.
"Same to you!" he warned. "Take her into a single room."
"Can I d-o it, ca' I do it?" the old badger babbled excitedly.
The fox pushed him aside and the animal fell on his butt.
"You keep watch in front of the door. Hung?"
The big creature in the doorframe came closer.
"Take care that she can't escape, but don't touch her more."
Hung, a big bear looking guy, nodded without to say a word. He was much bigger than the fox. He was something like a red bear, with Asian face, and a little short pigtail. He looked like a Chinese cook but without a nice face and without cook uniform.
Beans's eyes grew big when Hung came closer. The big guy grabbed her tied arms, wrapped an arm around her torso and lifted her up. Beans screamed protestingly.
The fox grinned amused and looked at the fifth person, who until now didn't say a word. He had watched all the whole time. When Beans looked in the wolf face, it seemed to be like stone. It was emotionless and without moving a muscle. As if he would be also an audience member, who watched a movie without to play a role in it.
"Greg! It's your responsibility, that nobody mess things up. Take care that no one can leave the place."
The wolf, who he called Greg, nodded. "Yes, sir."
The leader looked at Jake. "And give him a little chloroform that he really can't try to escape. I don't like if our money investment disappeared. It would annoy me."
Greg nodded again.
Jake pulled on his chains when Hung pulled Beans out of the room. Beans screamed and struggled. But Hung grabbed her neck and she winced when he began to press. Then they disappeared.
The fox bent down and picked up the knife, which he had thrown on the ground. He aimed it on Jake.
"See you on auction."
He turned around. Jake dashed forward.
"Mm wm mim mej!"
The fox grinned. "Be careful that you will not be the one who will be killed."
He came closer and gave him a nasty grin. "Remember the day, where Castigo conquered you."
He turned around, waved his hand and together with the others, he left the room. Jake was still like dumbfounded. He had expected all but not to end as a selling object for bounty hunters.
For a moment, Jake stayed alone.
Castigo? He never head that name but why did he think the name sounds familiar?
He winced when Greg came back with a bottle and a towel in his hands. The wolf didn't say a word. With neutral face, he opened the door of the cage and came in. Jake hissed warningly and breathed so hard that his lung pressed the air in and out through the nose.
Greg watched him relaxed but carefully.
"Don't make things worse than they are," were his first words. "Either you surrender, or I have to force you."
Surrendering was for Jake a borrowed word. He bent his long body, trying to break the chains. The bars began to bend.
Greg added the pressure on the towel in his hands. "I'm warning you. I worked many years with snakes. Don't think that I can't force y…"
"MMMMHHHJMM!" Jake yelled and threw himself with all his force forward. In last second, the wolf managed to avoid. Jake started a new attack, but the wolf grabbed a rope and pulled it. Jake's eyes grew wide when he felt something strong pulling on his neck. The rope was tied on his neck chain and had connected with the bars over the snake. The wolf pulled the rope more and with a hoist technique, it was an easy thing for him to pull up the head of the snake. While this, Jake struggled like a mad man. But his head became fixed on the cold cage bars. Jake hissed with pain and bent his body cramped.
Greg bonded the rope tight on the bar. Then he walked to the rattlesnake. Jake moved his eyes down and looked at him with full of hate.
"I don't want to hurt you," Greg said. "I just follow the rules. Keep still and it will be over fast."
Jake's body flinched when Greg climbed on the snake's body high to his head. Jake hissed, growled and breathed with rage. But the wolf didn't interrupted his walking. Shortly he had reached him, he effused the liquid on the towel until it was wet enough. Then he pressed it on his nares. Jake tried to pull away his head, but his neck had fixed very tight.
Jake tried to hold his breath, but he didn't keep it for long. with every little breath and gasp for air, the narcotic dominated his control and paralyzed his nerves.
The wolf watched his reaction. The rattlesnake's eyes began to flicker. The will of the snake was strong, but not forever. It didn't take long time and his face muscles went limp.
Greg pulled back the chloroform wet towel. He turned climbed down and loosed the rope, which held the snakehead. Gently he put his body back on the cage floor. Then he left.
Jake blinked and watched how he closed the cage and left the room. For seconds, he could keep awake then he surrendered. Before he fell in a light sleep, he remembered. He knew who the fox was. He saw him many weeks ago!

To be continued…

I wrote not much, but later background and plans will explained more lately.

"Castigo" is a Spanish name and means something like "punishment."

;) (Wink) — Description
Hello back. Well, I tried to write this chapter as good as I could. Enjoy.

16. Remember the day

Shadows appeared behind the door. Voices muttered with each other. Jake held his breath when someone inserted a key into a padlock of the little gate.
He blinked when the door opened. The light wasn't strong, but he realized now that the walls were wooden.
Three, no, four animals stood in the doorframe. A fifth person appeared and was a little bigger than the others, but the main person seemed to be the first one, who stood in the first line.
"Well, well," he heard a mockingly man voice. "Our living merchandise is woken up."
The animal came near and stopped very close in front of Jake's cage. The rattlesnake narrowed his eyes. The animal lifted his hat a little and he saw in a fox face. His eyes were penetrating, but Jake's eyes met him like a wave of hellfire.
He rattled with his tail and a rattling threateningly sound filled the room. But his captors left it cold.
The fox chuckled. "I see, you aren't in good mood, but don't worry, you will not stay her for the rest of your life."
His glance wandered down at Beans.
"I see, your bitch is still sleeping, isn't she?"
Jake narrowed his eyes because of that disrespectful, insulting language.
The fox looked behind himself and moved his hand.
"Dig, Math. Wake her up."
An old badger in sweated dirty clothes and a raccoon with ugly nails and yellow teeth picked up the still unconscious lizard from the floor. Every one of them grabbed her on her bonded arms and hauled her over to a wooden box. They sat her down on it began to shake her a little.
The fox paid his attention back at the captured rattlesnake.
Jake tried to analyse details of the fox, despite the dim light in the room.
The fox was a little centimetres higher than Beans, short fur, his nose wasn't long, his clothes covered with dust, and long coat, which was a little dirty as if he were walked through mud. Under his coat were two colts and maybe other weapons. The badger and the raccoon seemed to be one of his henchmen. Also the other figures. The bigger animal kept standing in the door. Maybe to make sure that nobody could escape. Jake couldn't really say what kind of animal it was. The fifth person leaned against the wall and watched the room with watchfully eyes. It was a wolf, thin but not skinny. In contrast to the others, he wore much cleaner clothes. With white shirt, dark grey pants, a black west and black cowboy hat, he stood there and said no single word. All were in the middle age. Just the badger seemed to be the older one.
Jake didn't move. His captors shouldn't have the pleasure to see him fighting for nothing or let him desperate. If they wanted to kill him, he would look at the death with firmly eyes. Despite he feared the death more or less. He never was the loser. Always he had been the winner. But this was the third time that someone threatened him with death.
The fox twirled his less whiskers. "Sorry for your state," he said, which sounded more sarcastically. "But prisoners aren't allowed to speak. Don't hope that you could give me a good telling-off."
He smiled, and it was a sardonic, mischievous grin. Jake hissed through his bonded mouth and wished he could smash him. But he had to be calm. It was impossible to break out of here and without a chance to fight back; it was useless.
The two men were still busy to wake up Beans. They patted her cheeks several times, it didn't take much time, and Beans began to moan sleepily.
"Hey, she is waking up," the raccoon said.
The fox rubbed his fingers bored. "Nice for her. I don't like time-wasting."
Math took off his hat and fanned fresh air to her.
Slowly Beans blinked and began to move her head. The poor female lizard had no idea what happened. She looked irritated. First she was totally confused to see the strange persons around her. She closed her eyes and lowered her face weakly.
"Hey, woman, your nap time is over," the raccoon muttered and patted her cheek again.
"Let m-me ma-ke it," Dig stuttered, maybe because of alcohol.
"Dig!" the fox hissed warningly.
The badger winced and stepped back.
"Hey," Math said and began to shake Beans again. "I think Karl and Ethan gave her too much of that stuff."
"Continue. I want to see what kind of state she is."
Math grinned evilly. "I don't think that she is handicapped. But some girl must be stupid to embark with a brainless snake."
Jake hissed through the nose with rage.
The fox glared at him mockingly. "Kind of truth inside, isn't it? You did never thought that someone would catch you like that, did you?"
Jake narrowed his eyes with rage.
The fox formed his mouth and contorted his face theatrically.
"Oh, oh. Someone is looking at me very angry. Are you annoyed?"
Jake snorted with disgust and the fox nodded with wide grin. "That's what I thought. You will bring me a lot of money."
"You wanted to say, for us," Math corrected.
"Of course. I just spoke for the gang."
He leaned against the bars of the cage calmly and this made Jake very mad.
The fox scratched his chin. "I hope my little spider didn't fear you. Don't worry, its venom will not kill you. No. I need you alive."
Meanwhile Beans managed to keep awake and muffled something through the gag. The fox turned around to her.
"I didn't forget you, sweety."
He came closer. Beans didn't know what he wanted and looked at him unsurely. The fox eyed her in a way as if she would be a car or something. The leader grabbed her chin gently with his fingers. Beans clenched her fists.
"Nice prey which we have. I'm sure you will make good compensation for my hard work."
Now more awake, Beans turned away her face distastefully and kicked with her tied feet against him. The fox jumped aside. The men murmured rebukingly.
Beans looked at him with venom in her eyes.
The fox laughed mockingly. "Ho, ho. You are a wild thing, aren't you?"
Beans looked at him angrily. "I see you need someone who teaches you manners."
He sat next beside her on the box and laid his arm on her shoulders.
Beans was about to push him away but then something blinked and she froze.
"Na, na, Did you want to hurt yourself?"
Beans didn't dare to breath and looked at the knife which the fox held in front of her face.
"It would be sad for your face to cut it."
Beans could do nothing than to watch helpless, without a chance to fight back.
The fox bent closer and Beans body clenched with disgust.
"Can I h-old her, to-o?" the badger muttered and grabbed her other shoulder side.
The fox loosed his grip of Beans and kicked him in the shin.
"No," he warned darkly. "That cooky is mine. Your job is to make sure that the snake doesn't run away."
"You mean, slither or crawl away?" the raccoon Math chuckled.
"What else."
Beans's eyes wandered at Jake, who couldn't help her. The rattlesnake laid tied, gagged and captured there. It didn't go without notice that the snake was before an inner explosion of rage.
Also the fox's eyes wandered at him. He chuckled nastily. "Don't worry, you can be sure, I will take good care for her."
His hand wandered more down and grabbed the end of Beans's dress. Beans screamed through her gag shrilly, when the boss lifted her dress higher over her knees.
She pressed her eyes together. "Nghh!"
That was enough for Jake. He rattled with his rattle like crazy and tried to come free so that the cage shook dangerously. The others stepped back winced, but the fox only laughed.
He smiled mockingly and released Beans's dress for her relief.
"Oh, you don't like to see how I flirt with your girl, do you?"
He stood up and left Beans. The lizard leaned back quickly and pressed her legs closer on the wooden box.
"As you wish." The fox rubbed his chin. "We should amuse us after we completed the sale. Math?"
Math went beside him. "Yes, sir?"
"Ask after our clients. Say, we have something special for selling. A famous special rattlesnake."
Jake didn't believe what he heard.
The fox seemed to guess his thoughts and grinned widely. "Be a good boy and don't make troubles. If you do nothing, we can sell you in a good state. If not…"
He reached into his side pocket, and with a fast hand movement, the knife slammed on the floor. The language was clear, but he seemed to know that Jake would never obey.
He turned around and his eyes met Beans. Beans winced a little, but she was also angry.
"Same to you!" he warned. "Take her into a single room."
"Can I d-o it, ca' I do it?" the old badger babbled excitedly.
The fox pushed him aside and the animal fell on his butt.
"You keep watch in front of the door. Hung?"
The big creature in the doorframe came closer.
"Take care that she can't escape, but don't touch her more."
Hung, a big bear looking guy, nodded without to say a word. He was much bigger than the fox. He was something like a red bear, with Asian face, and a little short pigtail. He looked like a Chinese cook but without a nice face and without cook uniform.
Beans's eyes grew big when Hung came closer. The big guy grabbed her tied arms, wrapped an arm around her torso and lifted her up. Beans screamed protestingly.
The fox grinned amused and looked at the fifth person, who until now didn't say a word. He had watched all the whole time. When Beans looked in the wolf face, it seemed to be like stone. It was emotionless and without moving a muscle. As if he would be also an audience member, who watched a movie without to play a role in it.
"Greg! It's your responsibility, that nobody mess things up. Take care that no one can leave the place."
The wolf, who he called Greg, nodded. "Yes, sir."
The leader looked at Jake. "And give him a little chloroform that he really can't try to escape. I don't like if our money investment disappeared. It would annoy me."
Greg nodded again.
Jake pulled on his chains when Hung pulled Beans out of the room. Beans screamed and struggled. But Hung grabbed her neck and she winced when he began to press. Then they disappeared.
The fox bent down and picked up the knife, which he had thrown on the ground. He aimed it on Jake.
"See you on auction."
He turned around. Jake dashed forward.
"Mm wm mim mej!"
The fox grinned. "Be careful that you will not be the one who will be killed."
He came closer and gave him a nasty grin. "Remember the day, where Castigo conquered you."
He turned around, waved his hand and together with the others, he left the room. Jake was still like dumbfounded. He had expected all but not to end as a selling object for bounty hunters.
For a moment, Jake stayed alone.
Castigo? He never head that name but why did he think the name sounds familiar?
He winced when Greg came back with a bottle and a towel in his hands. The wolf didn't say a word. With neutral face, he opened the door of the cage and came in. Jake hissed warningly and breathed so hard that his lung pressed the air in and out through the nose.
Greg watched him relaxed but carefully.
"Don't make things worse than they are," were his first words. "Either you surrender, or I have to force you."
Surrendering was for Jake a borrowed word. He bent his long body, trying to break the chains. The bars began to bend.
Greg added the pressure on the towel in his hands. "I'm warning you. I worked many years with snakes. Don't think that I can't force y…"
"MMMMHHHJMM!" Jake yelled and threw himself with all his force forward. In last second, the wolf managed to avoid. Jake started a new attack, but the wolf grabbed a rope and pulled it. Jake's eyes grew wide when he felt something strong pulling on his neck. The rope was tied on his neck chain and had connected with the bars over the snake. The wolf pulled the rope more and with a hoist technique, it was an easy thing for him to pull up the head of the snake. While this, Jake struggled like a mad man. But his head became fixed on the cold cage bars. Jake hissed with pain and bent his body cramped.
Greg bonded the rope tight on the bar. Then he walked to the rattlesnake. Jake moved his eyes down and looked at him with full of hate.
"I don't want to hurt you," Greg said. "I just follow the rules. Keep still and it will be over fast."
Jake's body flinched when Greg climbed on the snake's body high to his head. Jake hissed, growled and breathed with rage. But the wolf didn't interrupted his walking. Shortly he had reached him, he effused the liquid on the towel until it was wet enough. Then he pressed it on his nares. Jake tried to pull away his head, but his neck had fixed very tight.
Jake tried to hold his breath, but he didn't keep it for long. with every little breath and gasp for air, the narcotic dominated his control and paralyzed his nerves.
The wolf watched his reaction. The rattlesnake's eyes began to flicker. The will of the snake was strong, but not forever. It didn't take long time and his face muscles went limp.
Greg pulled back the chloroform wet towel. He turned climbed down and loosed the rope, which held the snakehead. Gently he put his body back on the cage floor. Then he left.
Jake blinked and watched how he closed the cage and left the room. For seconds, he could keep awake then he surrendered. Before he fell in a light sleep, he remembered. He knew who the fox was. He saw him many weeks ago!

To be continued…

I wrote not much, but later background and plans will explained more lately.

"Castigo" is a Spanish name and means something like "punishment."