Neser had not been lucky enough to be bought together with his new friend Azibo, but the grey cat had been right in one thing. They did clean the cages of the Black Market now and then... It wasn't pleasant, and it didn't take away all the filth, but it did improve matters some. Some slaves had been temporarily let out of their cages by the market staff and then instructed to fetch pails of water. The water was then used to rinse off the cages, floors and the unlucky slaves that were in the way. It had been an... interesting... experience. Neser had barely avoided taking a pails worth of water to the face.
He now stood in his clean-ish cage, wet to his elbows and pondered the recent turn of events. Nefer had managed to get out of here, Azibo had managed to get out of here, and several cats in the surrounding cages had also been bought and replaced by new slaves. He had to catch a break sometime. He tried to think back to the day Azibo was bought, and what his friend had said and done. It was hard for him to guess why that hound had picked his friend instead of any other cat on the market, but he had gathered that health seemed important.
Neser sighed and started to groom himself for the second time that morning. He didn't fancy waiting for his fur to air dry and if he kept as clean as he could someone might notice him. Hopefully. They had to. He was certain he'd die if he didn't get a master soon.
Malach’s eyes narrowed at the cages, the cats around him, the overseeing hounds not so far away, all of it. He’d have been content enough to sit in a corner of his cage quietly and be undisturbed. Even the growing amount of filth didn’t bother him so much as being herded out and forced to clean the cages did. He despised these cramped cages and the situation he was in, but it was all better if he was being ignored. 