[mainard]

A bone deep, weary ache was slowly setting in, impossible to avoid; the mudokon's arm, long since numb, had begun to infect the rest of the body with the sore tingling of overworked muscle. Tensing his jaw, the mudokon merely ducked a little, shifting his arm into a slightly more forgiving position, and continued scrubbing, pushing hopelessly at the dirty stains on the floor. Each movement was an agony, each scrubbing motion sending jags of pain up the overworked, abused flesh. His very bones ached with the effort of it. As he toiled, his brain worked feverishly, burning with a sullen, tired but hopeful light.
'keep going. keep working. look for an oppurtunity. always keep alert... they'll slip up. they'll have to... eventually. then it will be time...'
The mudokon paused in his work, one hand clinging fervently to the shaking muscles of his arm. the angry burns marring his upper arms still stung, even after a month of healing. he winced, his face a mask of sorrow at the spark of memory, memory of what they had done to him...
he had thought they would kill him. he had thought his life would end, right there... he was sure of it. he had fought back, killing a half dozen sligs before the others had clubbed him unconscious, dropping him into the grass...
he had awoken to darkness, and silence, and a deep, metallic stink that had clogged his throat. walls pressing all around him...
he had thought they would kill him. but they didn't. low on workers, they said...
he had lost his feathers, clipped off nearly at the base. to break him... his feathers... and his tattoos. it had hurt, hurt so much... thankfully he had fainted halfway through... he had tried to defy them... but the hot iron on his skin, burning the flesh and the marks below, it had been too much. he felt no shame. only a cautious patience, a waryness, keeping his eyes open, waiting for the proper time...
"HEY!! WHAT THA HECK DA YA THINK YER DOIN'??"
Jolted out of his reverie, his head snapped up. he had stopped working. oh no...
the slig stomped towards him, it's mechanical legs still a strange sound to his ears...
he waited, holding himself in a meek position, his eyes watchful... perhaps this might be the time...*