Lupus

June 4 200 AD

The scenery is beautiful , they don't tell you that about Rome. At least not in Numidia. All Remus has ever heard was the violence of Rome . But entering Rome, the country didn't bare its teeth at Remus , the air was clear , the flowers were bright. 

It's like a cruel trick. Making him think it's pretty , making Remus think Rome is something to be trusted , something that it's not. He trusted it once , but never again. 

That's where his mind stays for most of the time in the cart. As he watches the pretty parts of Rome ride by slowly , he reminds himself of the burning bodies , the women falling from the cliff , and his eyes defer from the scenery. 

He's sitting in a cart with four other men. The cart is small , far too small for four grown men but the bars letting them look outside makes it tolerable. After the burning Roman's shoved them by fours into carts ; They only got a little out of the man riding the horse pulling their cart but they know that they are going to fight. Remus and these four men are to step into an arena and they may or may not step out. Remus doesn't have much to live for , but he would suck off a Roman before dying for there entertainment.

He only knows one of the men in this cart. General Evander Rosier . Rosier hasn't talked much since they got the news of their futures . Evan has always been good at hiding when he's upset , he's done it since they were kids , has a knack for running away. Here though in this cart cramped up , there's no where for Evan to go , it's making him agitated . Evan looks up at Remus and tilts his head backwards towards the bars he had his back against , nodding toward the scenery .

"Pretty yeah? You like pretty things like that , don't you? " Evan observes , presumably trying to make Remus feel better. 

"It's bee season." Says a soldier next to Evan. Both Remus and Evan loll their head to look at the man. He looks younger than them , a lot younger than them. Remus's heart pumps a beat faster with the thought of all the things this the boy won't be able to see , things he should have been alive for . The boy has a nasty gash across his leg , the leg is folded up to his chest , he had cut out a piece of his pteruge and wrapped it around the gash. His face was heavily freckled , and his hair was red and fluffy , how he had managed to keep it shiny despite the battle was beside Remus. 

"Tiberius" the boys smiles and holds a hand out to Remus, who shakes it returning the smile .

"I'll call you Tibb." Evan grins, and shakes the boys hand when Tibb turns the hand to him. 

"My boredom is awful." Tibb says flicking at the tail of the horse pulling the carriage beside him through the bars of the cage . Making the horse speed up and slow down , shaking the cart. 

"And that'll help." Evans weak voice laughs out. His blonde hair and tan skin was tainted with blood and dirt . Evan didn't look right , the blood that was not his own , the sad glint in his eyes , the dread creeping through the lines of his face . The astonishing part was even if he didn't look it , he was the same old Evan , happy , laughing , the calm exterior that put everyone else at ease in strenuous situations such as this. Remus took solace in this . If Evan was ok then nothing bad was happening. Evans ok , he's laughing , he's Evan , even in Rome he's Evan. 

"That's gotta hurt." Evan pointed to Tibb's wrapped leg. 

"It did , should see the other guy." Tibb snorted grimacing when he looked at the gash , it was for a split second but Remus could tell. Remus was good at observing. He was good at knowing other people , reading them. Hope had said it was because he cared , because he was a helper. Hope liked to believe in people like that. He holds his hand over the wooden wolf in his armor. 

Remus knows it's not because he's a helper. Remus doesn't feel the same as others . Ever since he was a child it's almost like he feels at a deficit. It was like any emotion that others felt , he felt it , but not enough. The only way he knows how to describe it , is how Hagrid described it when Remus told him this. Hagrid had said that it must feel like Remus is at a play , but he's watching from a distance , and he knows what going on , but he can't hear very well. He knows the play is amazing , and he knows that the people with closer seats are enjoying the play to its fullest extent. But Remus is too far back , he will never know how great the play can be . When Remus heard Hagrid say that , it made him upset and he had gone to sit on the ocean wall , but he knew that was only because the analogy was so painfully true it hurt. 

"First battle?" Evan asked .

"Yeah , great start I'm at , day one and I'm a Roman slave." Tibb says , his voice fades at the end . Leaving the cart in silence , thinking about the one thing they were all trying to avoid. 

"You're a Roman slave , but that's only a title. You are still Tiberius of Numidia , you are a Numidian soldier. They can call you all they want but you have to know you are what you have always been. Don't let them take that from you , the only one who can take it is you." Remus talks slowly , he doesn't look at Tiberius or Evan while he does it . He fiddles with his fingers and looks out the window while speaking. He can practically hear Evan's eye brows shoot up in shock at his words .

"You ever think of going into poetry ?" Tibb laughs and Evans eyes twinkle as he joins in.

"Remus the poet !" Evan exclaims . Evan and Tibbie are practically wheezing . At the sight of them Remus gives away and starts cracking up as well.

"Yeah and my first poem would be , the soldiers who died after battle." Remus shoved the both of them as they all just laughed harder.

"It can't possibly be that funny." Grumbled the man next to Remus , he had been sleeping for the entire day they had been in the cart. 

The boy seemed to be Tibb's age , he had dark black hair , and bright green eyes . He looked upset , but Remus could tell it was just his resting face . As for how he felt , other than groggy from just waking up the boy seemed calm , not a hint of sadness or guilt in his eyes like Tibb's or Evans , or probably his own. 

"Wow you're all so young , Remus I heard they tried to sort by age , must mean we held up pretty well , yeah?" Evan winks snapping at Remus , who kicks him chuckling . 

" We're eighteen and at the age of 22 you and Remus are so old might as well put a "the wise" after your names, huh?" Tibb's rolls his eyes playing with the horse again. 

"It just seems bigger because it feels like it's been twenty years since I've been eighteen , and stop that." Remus reaches over and slaps his hand .

"And who are you?" Evan points a curious look at the dark haired boy next to Remus. 

"Bartemius" the boy replies shortly looking out the cracks in the bars . 

"Anyone call you Barty?" Evan asks his eyes sparkling.

We're now riding through a town , people are gathering everywhere . They are shouting names at us.

"Pig !" 

"Barbarian!" 

Remus stares at the faces of the men , and the women throwing food at them , the clank as it bounces off the bars. They're Romans through and through. 

Remus lets out a laugh . Followed by a howl like laughter , it's coming from himself . Remus laughs harder than he's laughed in years , and as he looks around him, through his laugh induced tears he sees the rest of the men clutching their stomachs with laughter as well. 

They all roar with laughter at the unblemished irony of the Romans calling them pigs . 

After what seems like hours Barty manages to chuckles out words .

"They have got to be slow or stupid , barbarians , us!"

"Oh , oh god I feel abs coming in." Tibb says coming down from his cackling . 

"Remus , chap I've never heard you laugh that loud." Evan says with his eyes still twinkling as if he's still laughing. 

Maybe it's the high of emotions in the cart , or the urge to find anything and everything to avoid the thoughts of what will happen once they leave this cart. But it's true Remus has never laughed harder , and the same can probably be said about the others in the cart. 

They fall into a comfortable silence in the cart . Remus doesn't know how long they've been in the cart at that point , he knows they left Numidia after the burning , but he has not the faintest idea what time it was then . Remus knows the sky got dark and light once more and he hadn't slept , but as they slip into this silence , he can't help but feel as though time goes faster than it ever has before. It's as if the cart has gone faster , he'll look at a tree they pass by , then he does so much as blink and the tree isn't even in sight anymore . Time seems to be mocking him by speeding up , as if time too can't wait to see them fight .

They are riding through central Rome now , this where the rich live , they see miles and miles of land , with large villas in the middle of them, all around them. The people they see through out the streets look clean , they look happy , they look like they've never seen the ugly of their country . Remus sees a villa , larger than the rest , ridiculously big , he's sure it could pay to fund the lives of all of the poor in Rome , and have enough to find the build of another Rome after that . The villa is surrounded by so much land Tibb asks if they've entered another country. As they are passing through the land of this Villa they can't see anything else in sight for miles , just the land of this villa , it has extravagant and beautiful flowers growing in its fields. People in white robes are outside watering them . Evan is trying to reach out of the cart and snag a tropical fruit from a tree that can't possibly be native to Rome. And as for the villa itself , Remus isn't entirely sure it's not a mirage he's made up to distract himself. It's elevated above the ground by marvel volume with a man made marvel pool lined with hydrangeas , how the fuck did they get hydrangeas . The villa itself was made of marvel, with golden windows that nobody can possibly see out of , the villa was straight out of a painting. 

"That there is where the emperors live boys! If you lot make good gladiators you'll get to go inside." Shouts back the man on the horse directing the cart. 

"And that large building over there , thats the eh' coliseum. The men who succeed in graduating fight there." The man on the horse adds. 

"And as for us?" Remus speaks .

"You will be fighting in a little arena in Tibur , where gladiator masters will be watching you. Do well and you will be bought by one of them." The man on the horse answers , his voice slow and old. 

"Where's the rest of the soldiers in our militia? Their carts are no longer behind us." Barty speaks up to the man.

" They're off to fight the same as you in other parts of Rome . And some are sent to be slaves in farms , or villas." The man shouts back. 

"So we're the main event yeah?" Barty says bitterly.

"You and the men of the cart in front of us , all eight of yeh' will be thrown into that ring tomorrow. " The man speaks after a moment. 

"You know I bought a ticket yeah? I always watch but it's the first time I will actually be knowing the gladiators." The man says his tone switching to something of a melancholic tune. The man must be of Spain , his first language is obviously not Roman.

"The ticket says you are men , but you are all boys . You are to be dying before you've ever lived. " The man says looking down , fiddling with the reins of his horse . 

"Tell us your name ." Evan says suddenly.

" Oro" the man says surprised but he change of topic. 

"Oro you are Spanish , Spain was conquered not long before Numidia . You know what it is to be a conquered country . You know what it  is to have your dignity , your honor for your country ripped away from you , yeah?" Evan asks , from the way Evan looks at Oro's back Remus knows Evan already knows the answer. 

Oro lifts up his hand , his right hand , his right hand that only had three fingers . 

"I fought for Spain. A soldier like you ." Oro replies .

"So you know the rage the Roman's bring to battle . It's war like you've never seen it. Don't sit and tell us that we are boys. The fact that we are alive in this very cart , the fact we didn't burn in the square , makes us men. That war made us men." Evan says the angry tick of his jaw and the hardness in his eyes are sharp piercing qualities. Evan is a good and happy person , but if you say the wrong thing , you see the side of Evan that is quick , sharp , and effective . 

Oro doesn't speak after that . 

Barty is now looking at Evan with something similar to shock lingering in his features. Evan raises a questioning eyebrow at Barty. Who replies by shrugging and looking away , perching his gaze at the colosseum.

~ 

The cart comes to a halting stop , the men in the cart were thrown forwards . Remus's shoulder presses against the hot bars of the cart. 

Oro gets off his horse and comes around to unlock the door of the cart. They all pause and look at eachother , well everyone's eyes turn to Remus . Remus grimaces at all of their gazes but he nods towards the open door of the cart . Barty climbs out first , then Tibb , Evan , then Remus . The four of them all have their arms chained behind their backs by Oro immediately. 

The scenery of Rome was beautiful but as beautiful as it was , this place had none of it. It was a large field of dead grass , it was shaped like a square and boxed in by large brown stone walls . There were men sparring everywhere , with swords , their hands , everything . There were men chained to the stone walls , and a large stone building in the center of it that must house cells of slaves . All of these men were practicing , practicing for the arena. 

Two strong looking men in navy robes took them just out side the stone walls , directly outside them was a deities of white tents where the workers of this slave/gladiator training area must sleep. The white tents have no walls only ceilings and hammocks tied to the trees. And near there is a small clearing with five more men in navy robes with a bucket of water at their feet , sponges , and a Roman Brander .

The four men are made to shed their attire and sponge them selves down with water. The action could hardly be called a bath but they do it anyway. They are redressed in their same clothing immediately after. The guards then had them all drop to their knees on the hard sandy ground . 

Remus watched at they put the Roman metal branders under the fire to heat them up. He watched as Evan made his jaw go tight , determined not to make a noise . Tibb's face stayed neutral. Barty clenched his fists tightly, his face turned downwards.

"What's the symbol." Remus spoke in a hard voice to the guards . 

"You don't speak ." Said one of the guards pointing his hot branding stick towards Remus. The heat radiating off the metal hit Remus in the face like a slap .

"It's going to be on my body for the rest of my life , I can't know what it is ?" Barty turned his head back up . Remus saw Evan and Tibb smirk out of his peripheral vision. 

The nostrils of one of the guards flared . He was a short man , but a strong on at that. He slapped Barty hard across the face .

"What did we say about speaking?" The man said shaking his hand as Barty spat out blood. 

"If he could move his arms , he would overpower you with no struggle." Evan spat at the same guard. The guard bent down and got closely to Evan . His face inches away from Evan's own . And Evan spat right in his face , not an insult , he actually spat in the man's face .

A spike of fear ran through Remus . These weren't any guards, they were Roman guards. Roman guards didn't have tolerance , they are taught to kill . 

Remus thought the blade in the guard belt would be stained with Evans blood . 

The guard stepped behind Evan and pushed him on his stomach . Another guard tossed him the metal brander, the man on Evan caught it with ease. He grabbed Evans right foot and pressed the hot metal into Evans flesh. Remus could almost hear the bubbling flesh, could almost feel the pain.

"Most slaves get that there mark printed on their shoulder , but you get it special on the sole of your foot because when you walk , you will wish I had killed you instead. " The man lifts off Evan , taking the still hot metal with him. Evan is breathing hard , but his jaw is clenched hard , he makes no sound of pain.

Suddenly the hot metal is pressed into Remus's shoulder as well. Remus has never been religious before but he was speaking to any and every God when he pleads for this to end. Holy fuck. Remus knows rage well , it's a feeling that he has inside of him in mass amounts. And this , this white hot pain of the metal marking him for life , that is the embodiment sensation of the emotion rage. 

He hears Tibb hissing as he is marked as well , then he hears nothing from Barty when he is marked . In fact Barty makes unbothered eye contact with the guard , the guard pressed harder on Bartys skin with the metal , and still Barty looks as if nothing is happening at all . The guard his Barty across the face again with the metal , leaving a burn mark shaped of a square dangerously close to the outer corner of his left eye. 

The guard get them up and walk them single file inside of the stone walls , and into the large  stone building . Remus was right , it housed slaves , they walked down a line of cells each housing more men than the cell could fit. 

They were shoved into a small cell at then of the hall , it had one small bed , and one small bucket.

The men made a mutual unspoken agreement meant that nobody would sit on the bed . They all sat around the square walls of the cell . Remus's back was against the wall opposite of the bars of the cell , Evan and Barty sat next to each other against the wooden posts of the bed , and Tibb put him self near the bucket. 

None of them spoke. As Remus looked around at all of them he wondered if he was cursed. Rome was pulling him back into its clutches. As if Rome wasn't down playing with him yet , they needed to pick him apart then throw him back to pick up his pieces all over again. 

Remus knew Rome. Remus he doesn't dare say that out loud to himself , it's only something he says in his mind. He likes to pretend sometimes , pretend that he doesn't actually know anything of Rome , he doesn't remember anything from his other life . But he does , oh he does. And sometimes he even goes as far to miss it , but the feeling of that is small and fleeting. Remus feels like he's ran so far from his old life that he went all the way around the globe and just ended up back in it once more. 

A guard bangs on the bars to their cell . And opens a latch in the side that is the size of a door for a small child , he slides four bowls of mystery soup to them and four glasses of water. 

Tibb is closest to the door so he passes them all their food and water . 

"We're meant to eat this are we ?" Tibb says dipping his finger in his soup.

"We'll need it , eat up ok?" Remus says sipping at his own soup. It's absolutely awful , but true to his words he knows they need it to fight tomorrow . 

He watches as Tibb winces at the mention of tomorrow , but Tiberius brings the bowl up to his both and sips it heartily . Tibb drinks it all without coming up for any air , as if to get it over with. Then he moves on to his water . Evan has also downed his soup , but Remus expected nothing less, for Evan had never cared what was being put in his mouth , as long as it cured his hunger. Barty was slowly but surely getting through his soup at the same rate as Remus .

"What do you think they'll do to us tomorrow." Tibb says timidly once everyone's done.

"It would only be our first fight , it wouldn't be anything off the rocker." Evan reassures.

"Tibb nothing they're going to do is going to be good . We have to stick together and fight what ever it is together ." Remus says steadily.

The group falls into silence once more . 

~

Tiberius falls asleep first , and Remus lolls his head back against the stone and plans to close his eyes as well . 

"Let me see your foot ." Barty turns to Evan in a hushed but adamant voice .

" 'm ok ." Evan whispers out tiredly looking at Barty. 

Barty lifts Evan's bad foot on his lap. Evan hisses in pain. Barty rips a piece of cloth from his clothing . Then his lifts his cup of water , Evan grabs it away from him.

"That's your water , don't use it on me drink it ." Evan says firmly.

"Evander look at your foot , you can't fight like that , let me help you." Barty says in a gruff stubborn voice . 

"You can't fight dehydrated." Evan argues pulling the cup of water closer to him when Barty makes a grab for it . 

"If I tell you this is more for me then it is for you will you let me do this?" Barty says finally looking Evan in the eye. Evan gives in.

Barty starts to work on his foot .

Evan stares at Barty with something different in his eyes , something Remus hasn't seen before , or maybe Remus is simply to tired . But it doesn't matter how tired you are anybody could see that there was something different in the way Evan stared at Barty just then. 

It was like everybody else has left the room and suddenly it was just Evan and Barty. 

"Your face." Evan said simply. 

"You're not looking great either." Barty snaps back.

Evan laughs softly , ending it with a hiss when Barty tightens the piece of cloth around Evan's foot and a make shift bandage . 

"No , no , the burn on your eye." Evan comments .

Barty looks up at Evan with a confused look on his face .

"There were freckles there , right there where the burn is ." Evan says sadly as if he's mourning them. 

"Anyone ever tell you have stars on your face." Evan smiles at Barty . Barty stares at Evan for a moment longer before replying simply.

"Anyone ever tell you that you get chatty when you're sleepy." 

And for a moment it's almost as if they're not going into an arena tomorrow. It's almost as if they're fine , they're ok. As much as Remus wants to believe it , the pit in his stomach , the pit that won't go away , knows otherwise.