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Every breath tore at Ezra’s chest, but he couldn’t afford to slow down. He didn’t know how much time he had before Maul noticed he was gone, but he knew it couldn’t be long.
Ezra wasn’t even sure where he was going. He’d just picked a direction and ran. Eventually, he’d find somewhere to hide or someone who would help him. Wouldn't he?
He didn’t register the sound of snarling until it was too late. A blur of fur and teeth and claws slammed into his back, growling as it pinned him down.
Ezra’s hands scrabbled at the ground, pulling up handfuls of dirt and twigs as he tried to crawl away. Maul’s front paws pressed down on his back until he could barely breathe. Hot breath flared down on his neck, teeth inches from tearing into his throat. Ezra kicked frantically, but his feet only met empty air.
The pressure on his chest lifted just slightly as one of Maul’s massive paws lifted off of him. Seconds later, pain exploded through Ezra’s right leg as claws tore down his calf.
Ezra screamed, tears pouring down his cheeks as his fingers dug into the dirt. He hadn’t felt pain like this since the night he was first bitten. His stomach twisted as the smell of his own blood flooded his nose. Sinking his fingers deeper into the damp earth, he tried to pull himself forward, but Maul just pushed down harder on his back.
His heart pounding in his chest, Ezra frantically clawed at the ground. Maul stayed on him, unmoving, impassive, waiting for Ezra to tire himself out. Eventually, he got exactly what he expected. Ezra went limp, shaking as the loss of blood began taking its toll. A low growl sounded in his ear as Maul leaned in close, as if reminding him of just how easy it would be to tear his throat out. Ezra squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself as the image of those teeth ripping into him flooded through his head.
Finally, the weight on Ezra’s back changed as Maul shifted back to his human form. A heavy sob wracked Ezra’s body as the pressure lifted, letting air flow freely back into his lungs.
“Did you really think you could get away that easily?” Maul hissed.
“I’m sorry,” Ezra whimpered. He kept his eyes tightly shut, wanting nothing more than to sink into the ground beneath him.
He cried out as Maul seized a handful of his hair and hauled him to his feet. Ezra’s knees buckled as he was forced to put weight on his right leg. Maul’s grip remained firm, keeping him upright even as his head spun so much he just wanted to collapse.
“I don’t think you are,” Maul snarled, wrenching Ezra’s head back until he was looking up into those terrifying, rage-filled eyes. “But you will be. You are in for it when we get home.”
He released Ezra, shoving him forward in the direction of the cabin. Slowly, Ezra began to move forward, wincing each time he put weight on his injured leg. He just wanted to bolt again, take off into the trees and disappear, but with the deep gashes in his leg, he wouldn’t get far. Maul would catch him again and he’d just get in more trouble.
They walked in silence for a while, Maul’s anger hanging in the air between them like a hand about to strike. Each time Ezra slowed down, Maul shoved him hard between the shoulder blades, making him stumble as he tried to move faster. But with every passing minute, he grew dizzier, weaker, until he was shaking with the effort of staying on his feet.
“C-can we stop?” he asked, his voice shaking even more than his body was. “Please. I – I can't –”
“You can stop when we get home,” Maul snapped, his hand closing around Ezra’s arm and half dragging him along as he continued weaving through the trees. “Keep moving.”
Ezra stayed silent the rest of the way back to the cabin, not wanting to invite more of Maul’s anger. At long last, they reached the cabin. Tears welled up in Ezra’s eyes at the sight of it. Deep down, he knew he hadn’t stood a chance of escaping, but part of him couldn’t help but feel like he’d been so close.
He let Maul lead him inside, his heart sinking further with each step. Once the door swung shut behind them, Maul shoved him forward, sending him sprawling onto the rough floorboards. As Ezra pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, Maul’s foot connected with his stomach, knocking him back to the floor.
“Stay down,” Maul growled.
Ezra obeyed, trembling as he heard Maul moving around the small room. Finally, the man crouched down next to him, out of Ezra’s line of sight.
He gasped as the right leg of his jeans was pulled up, the shredded denim tugging at the wounds in his leg. A moment later, stinging pain flooded across his skin as antiseptic was poured over the wounds. Ezra cried out, only to be silenced by a sharp slap to the back of his head. He bit down on the back of his hand, shaking and fighting to stay quiet as Maul cleaned out the wounds and bandaged them.
When Maul was done, he grabbed Ezra’s arm, forcing him to sit up. Ezra averted his gaze, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor. His shoulders crept up toward his ears as he tried to make himself as small as possible, as if that would hide him from Maul’s wrath.
“You’re lucky you didn’t bleed to death,” Maul said. Ezra bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from pointing out that he wouldn’t have been in danger of that if Maul hadn’t attacked him in the first place.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
“I’m sorry,” Ezra whispered, his voice breaking. He began shaking again as he felt Maul’s furious gaze on him. Without meaning to, he found himself speaking the words that had consumed his every waking moment since Maul had brought him here.
“I – I want to go home.”
He gasped as Maul grabbed his chin, fingers digging in tight enough to bruise as he forced Ezra to look up at him.
“There is nothing left for you back there,” he growled. “Your parents are dead. Anyone else would abandon you or kill you the moment they find out what you are. I am all you have left.”
As Maul released him and stood up, Ezra flinched, shrinking away from the man. He wanted to crawl into a corner or run back out into the woods and hide. But he was stuck where he was, trapped in place by his own terror.
“I’m sorry,” Ezra said again, his heart pounding as he stared up at Maul. Nothing Maul could do to him now would be worse than what he’d already done, turning him into a monster and then ripping his life away, but knowing that didn’t make Ezra any less afraid. “I won't do it again.”
“I’m sure with the right amount of discipline, that might be true one day,” Maul said, his voice holding no hint of sympathy for Ezra’s fear.
Ezra’s eyes widened as Maul removed his belt. He dropped his gaze to the floor, his breath sticking in his throat. The bruises hadn’t even fully healed yet from the last beating Maul had given him.
“Take off your shirt.” Maul’s voice was so cold Ezra couldn’t help but shudder.
“Please,” Ezra said, his voice barely more than a whisper as tears began welling up in his eyes. “I won't –”
His plea dissolved into a pained cry as the metal buckle struck his shoulder.
“Ezra.” The warning in Maul’s voice was clear.
Ezra’s hands shook as he gripped the hem of his shirt and pulled it off, exposing the bruises and welts that still littered his back and chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping this would just be over quickly as he braced himself for the next blow.