``exchange || kasimira & calliope

<sup>The change was gradual at first, preventing Calliope from noticing it until she was walking on dry ground. The rain had slowed to a drizzle as she traveled, then to a misting so light she couldn't feel it anymore. Now she had escaped the clouds and was basking in the drying warmth of the sun. Calliope sighed with happiness. The new scenery signified the end of the horrors of the Rock. Everything would go back to normal now, just as it was before.

A strong smell filled Calliope's nose and she realized that Kasmira had stopped to mark the border. Cal's heart sank as she remembered that nothing would ever be the same again. She was shackled in the bonds of slavery, and very few wolves ever escaped those bonds. She highly doubted her new mistress was a kind-hearted dominor. The commanding bark Kasmira used to add speed to Calliope's limbs only reinforced that image. When the Alphaess settled her dark body in the grass, Calliope chose to sit, feeling that she should ready to move at the whims of her mistress.

"Calliope. Welcome to Irrsin."

Irrsin. Calliope let the name echo in her mind. She tried it out in her thoughts. My home, Irrsin. No, it didn't feel right, sound right. Home was where Thalia spoke to her in a calming tone and slept next to her in the den at night. Home was where they giggled about the way their brother strutted about when there was no one to see. Home was where her pups--Calliope stopped the thought before it could finish forming. She had promised herself she would not dwell on it. If her mind was allowed to wander there she would crumble, fall to pieces at the feet of the femme who now controlled her life.

All this turmoil took but a few seconds, and by then Kasmira had begun to speak again. This time her words made Calliope's ears twitch. A chance at freedom, however small, was more than she could have hoped for. But as always with such things, it was too good to be true. Kasmira soon showed her that the amount of strings attached to this chance were like a spider's web--sticky tendrils designed to trap her at the slightest touch. Calliope began to lament her fate again, but suddenly Kasmira's blue eyes were staring into Calliope's own amber orbs.

"I will not be made to look weak in front of others."

Kasmira spoke with poison in her tone. With each word she seemed to grow taller and more menacing. Under her glare Calliope lowered herself to the ground, diverting her eyes and rolling onto her back. Her neck lied stretched out, vulnerable to the other wolf. It was the ultimate sign of submission. Calliope knew Kasmira would be satisfied by nothing else.

"I understand, Lady Kasmira. I can obey."</sup>

The immense joy that radiated off of Kasimira was frightening. Gleeful in her dominance, the fae hovered over Calliope like the slave was fallen prey. Calliope's breathing became quick and shallow, her heart beating hard against her rib cage. When she had offered her neck, Calliope was sure her mistress would not harm it. But now Calliope worried that she harbored a perverse blood lust in addition to her need for dominance. However, Calliope saw the wildness in Kasimira's eyes die as she abruptly lowered herself to the ground again. In a flash, Calliope saw her mistress fall back into her demanding coldness.

The sun broke the clouds and blazed down on the baked land. Even Kasimira's coldness could not withstand the heat of a summer afternoon. The golden rays seemed to tranquilize her, allowing Calliope to return to a sitting position. She watched the other female nervously, embarrassed to see this moment of vulnerability in her harsh mistress. The sun somehow even softened Kasimira's orders.

"Sleep for a moment; you'll need your rest."

Calliope, caught off guard, remained still. It felt like a strange order for a dominor to give. Kasimira's breathing had already slowed, and there was a hint of a snore as she inhaled. A sudden thought entered Calliope's mind--with her mistress asleep and no other wolves around, who was to stop her from leaving? The border of Irrsin wasn't far; if Calliope could make it to the Falls she could wade in the water and hide her scent. She could be free! If she evaded capture, she could even go back!

Back? a mocking voice snarled in her head. Back to the mate who replaced you and the pups who won't recognize you, or back to the parents who forced you to leave?

Calliope jerked as if she had been dealt a blow. No, escape would only lead to a lonely existence, with the added stress of fearing recapture. Kasimira wouldn't care about one silly slave, but such an escape would be an insult to her. Calliope would be willing to bet her life that Kasimira was the type of wolf who harbored grudges. Calliope shook herself, trying to fling away all thoughts of freedom. It was no use wasting time thinking about something that would never happen. The sun was starting to work it's magic on her as well, and Calliope felt her tense body relax in the warming rays. Despite her doubts and fears about her mistress' command, Calliope found herself sprawled out in the grass, the long blades shading her eyes. The last thing she saw before sleep came was a strip of brilliantly blue sky.

~~~~~~~

Calliope drifted awake to the sound of birds. She smiled drowsily at their loud chirping, the different tones blending together into a cacophonous symphony. A small alarm went off in her brain at this. Her sleepy mind struggled to deduce the reason for it. Opening her eyes, Calliope found herself staring up at the sky and instantly knew what was wrong. The birds were in the midst of their evening chatter, getting ready to settle in for the night. The sky was tinted with oranges and reds, fading into a dark blue in the east. Calliope hadn't meant to sleep for so long, an hour at most had been her goal. Sitting up, Cal tried to shake her groggy mind back awake.

"How long have we, or I, been asleep?"

The slave froze. It had been such a peaceful rest that she had almost forgotten the other wolf. Turning, she looked up at the sky instead of Kasimira, trying to remember where the sun had been before she fell asleep.

"Perhaps five hours, lady, or six. It will be dark soon."

Calliope shivered as she thought of the horrid nights she had spent at the Rock. There she had dared not let herself sleep for long. A sleeping wolf was a defenseless wolf. She wondered what Irrsin would be like. Personally, she preferred to sleep in a den, with only an easily defended entrance to worry about. But Irrsin, with its wide open plains, might offer only trees for shelter.

"With night coming, we should--that is, we might want to. . ." Calliope finally decided to go for the subtlest attempt to draw Kasimira's mind toward shelter. "Is the camp far?"

<sup>Oh Eperna, why?

Calliope knew she had already pushed one of Kasimira's buttons. Maybe it was because she asked about the camp, or maybe because she talked at all. It could be that slaves should not speak unless spoken to. But hunting? That was no way for her to earn her mistress' favor. Calliope barely knew where to begin. In the forests she was used to, she would wait in the undergrowth until something crossed her path. It took her twice as long to catch food than other wolves, but she was usually successful. Here in the open meadows she was completely lost.

When Kasimira turned her back, Calliope began to frantically search the area. She spotted a clump of trees several yards away, where a squirrel was likely to be foraging for food. However, she also saw an area with low bushes that could be hiding a rabbit burrow. She knew this from experience, as she had often hidden from her older brother in such bushes as a pup. She smiled as she remembered how he would huff and whine as he tried to get his fat, round body through the small spaces left by the branches. She had to suppress a bit of laughter as she remembered the time she had startled a rabbit out of its burrow, and it had run straight into her brother as it tried to escape. Myris stopped trying to follow her into the bushed after that.

"Don't keep your Alpha waiting, Calliope."

The gaunt femme jumped. There was no time to make a decision, so she simply started running over to the bushes. Before she arrived, Calliope stopped to formulate a strategy. Even small and thin as she was, she couldn't force her way through the branches. Trying to scare any prey that might be hiding there would be the best option. Unfortunately, in most hunts she had a partner who would ambush the prey as it ran. Calliope wasn't sure she could keep up with any fleet-footed prey.

Treading lightly, she circled around the brush. Barking loudly, she began to dig at the small rise in the ground behind the bushes. Something rustled inside and she saw a small brown head pop out of the ground. As the rest of the animal emerged, Calliope realized it was either slow or stupid, as it didn't immediately take off running. Instinct took over and she pounced, grabbing the prey in her jaws and shaking it until she felt it go limp. Dropping the dead creature on the ground, she saw it was some kind of rodent, one she had never encountered before. Still, prey was prey, and she didn't want to incur the wrath of Kasimira.

The slave trotted back to the oak quickly, already feeling her mouth begin to salivate. She laid the rodent at Kasimira's feet and stepped back, knowing she must hunt again if she wished to eat. First, though, she waiting to see what her mistress would make of the strange animal.</sup>