Squawks and Lily hobbled down the stairs together and regrouped with Dima, Damas, and Mole in the basement behind the stage. There were a lot of goodies waiting to be picked up by their owners lying around. There was also a pile of guards and would-be owners, courtesy of Damas and Dima.
"Lily! Are you alright?!"
As soon as Lily and Squawks appeared in the basement, their three comrades charged over to check on the injured Lily and make sure she was alive, maybe accidentally pushing Squawks aside at the same time.
Squawks just stared at them with shock for a moment before sighing, shaking his head, and heading deeper inside the basement until he found what they were looking for. An iron cage.
Curled up in the deepest corner of the cage was Tair, surrounded by bloody feathers. Although he wasn't too badly beaten since the merchandise still had to be in decent condition to fetch a good price, Tair hadn't submitted. He fought, struggled, and resisted with all his might.
