The humans had no souls.
After dozens of experiments that was the only opinion that a professional could come to… and yet his colleagues continued to carry out their bloody work.
Despite the threats (and occasional attacks) from the ockdine.
Despite the so very gnoll-like screams of the captive humans.
Despite his own protests over the immorality of their actions.
Despite it all they persisted.
Well, he would have no more of it. Nakat was done.
Maybe he would go to one of the villages and live a simple life of subsistence and petty warfare. Maybe he would seek out the human settlement he’d heard rumors of, see how they lived in their natural environment.
Maybe he would even dare contact one of the great civilizations. Try to broker some unified solution to the human question. Goodness knows that the things were hard enough to handle at their current level of power. If the humans ever gained a foothold anywhere, built a true city… it was said it couldn’t happen due to human’s natural aggressiveness and lack of nobility, but the great civilizations had said the same thing about gnolls.
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Now the gnolls built a city, did science, and held their own against raids.
And he was leaving it all behind. Walking out the gates of the only true bastion of gnoll civilization. All because he didn’t want to pay what his colleagues called “the price of progress”.
The guards didn’t give him trouble. Why would they? They were there to keep wildlife at bay, to stop raids from those who opposed King Katani’s unification, and to collect taxes on goods that entered the city. As long as no one was chasing after him and yelling “thief” the guards would do nothing… and even then, there was no reason he couldn’t climb up the rough insides of the walls and jump down. Walls were for keeping unwanted things out.
Still, he trembled a bit as he passed through the stone archway.
After he was clear he saw open sky. No nets to protect him. He went on all fours and broke out into a run until he could reach the cover of the forest. This was prudent and no one would think less of him for it. In fact, they might think him mad if he didn’t do it.
Then again, when his shift came they would think him mad anyways for abandoning this life.
He reached the forest and relaxed again. Here there were dangers, but at least there were no ptau. He could follow the strip by the sea, go through the deep forest, and reach Elven territory all without seeing open sky.
Excitement welled up in him. He would go exploring! No more stuffy basements! No more bosses and performance reviews! No more wailing humans begging for release, for mercy, and eventually for death!
These were the triumphant thoughts running through Nakat’s head when a hand grabbed him and pulled him roughly into the underbrush.
A hand without claws.
A human hand.