Northern Downpour ~Raven~

[Sphuul]

If all our life is but a dream, fantastic posing greed
Then we should feed our jewelry to the sea
For diamonds do appear to be
Just like broken glass to me

A light drizzle had taken up the early evening, filling the forest with the sweet scent of rain and wet dirt. The sound of water dripping from leaves filled the air, and what a peaceful sound it was. Well, peaceful to all but her. The snow white fae had been walking around her packs territory, looking around her home for what seemed to be the tenth time. She had been here for a while, and had seen no other wolves. The only wolf she knew was her mistress, Hayashi, and she had not seen her either. Rouge was alone, it seemed, and it suited her just fine.

The pitter patter sound filled her ears, but instead of peace, unease drifted through her like a cloud of poison. Rain had always changed her moods, and she could feel darkness writhing inside of her, desperate to get out. But she did not know her surroundings well enough to give in to the tempting thoughts of losing herself to her gentle madness. No, it would have to wait. Instead of feeling alone, as she had since Hayashi had left her in the territory, she felt as if a being was near. What could it be? Would it be one of her packmates, Hayashi even? A sklavin or someone else, someone who would demand something of her, beat her if she said or did the wrong thing. She did not mind that. Rouge had learned to say the right thing and act obedient at a very young age. She had had to.

The feeling did not subside, but grew stronger. There was definently someone around, and she had no clue of what to do. Darker thoughts clouded her mind, and fear skittered through her. What would come of someone being here? Was it a packmate, or a rival wolf here to kill anyone he found here? Or maybe.. maybe even a demon, sent from the depths of hell to cause her pain and regret. The thoughts weighed her down, and she sat heavily, breathing roughly, panting, as if she had been running a long ways. She was sprinting a marathon in her mind, attempting to outrun the maddening thoughts that were blindly chasing after her.

[⋆Ravɛn]

BECK

(When it falls apart,
I won't be there)

It was, perhaps, one of the loneliest days that Beck had experienced since he had been claimed by Hayashi. For hours he had wandered about Durkell, weaving slowly between the trees, working to ignore the pitter patter of the rain dropping onto the leaves. His head, for once, was pleasantly clear. There seemed to be nothing that he could bring himself to worry about, nothing he should have cared about at that moment. Things had turned out alright for him. He had been claimed by a Dominor who seemed almost kind, and that was more than most other Sklavins could say. Not that Beck would have cared one way or another who claimed him, but he supposed it was nice that he was not being punished by the hour.

As he crept quietly through the forest, gliding silently like a ghost, he found himself tensing and glancing around as if someone was near. His steps slowed even more, but he continued forward. Was it perhaps Hayashi, or Reiner? Maybe it was the other Sklavin, Echo, who he had briefly met. When he finally stumbled across the other wolf, however, it was none of the above. Sitting before him, panting as if she had been running moments before, was a stark white fae, black sprinkled across her back. She was not familiar to him, but she seemed to pose no threat. In fact, she almost looked..anxious. A Sklavin of Durkell that he had yet to meet, maybe.

For a moment Beck simply stood observing her, wondering how to proceed. He was not the most friendly or talkative brute, but the silence that was stretching was irritating, and the last thing he wanted was for her to deem him a threat and attack. With the thought in mind, he tipped his head forward slightly, nodding a greeting.

"I don't think I've ever encountered you before," he said simply, monotone voice echoing in the silence. He did not sit, but instead stood a good distance from her, his brown eyes observing her to see how her body language changed.

"Are you a fellow Sklavin?"

[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Sphuul]

If all our life is but a dream, fantastic posing greed
Then we should feed our jewelry to the sea
For diamonds do appear to be
Just like broken glass to me

Rouge's internal struggle did not last long. While her mind was busy fighting for control, her natural senses picked up movement. Breathing, footfalls, and her nose caught the whiff of a male wolf. The scent was what brought her back to herself, and she shook herself, glancing about her. She easily caught sight of the male, his tan and grey coat standing out among his green background. He simply stood there, watching her, and she froze, muscles tense. How long had he been there? He could have easily killed her, if he had the desire to. But he hadn't, and Rouge found herself observing him as well. He seemed to be the same height as her, with a calm, collected face. Hers definently wasn't calm. Her emotions were easily shown through her face, and she glanced down quickly, afraid of what he would see when he looked into her eyes. If he looked into her eyes.

The tense silence frayed the fae's nerves, and she longed to run away. Run far away from this male who so quietly and calmly looked her over. This wasn't right.. It isn't-... Her thoughts were violently snapped from her as he began to speak, and Rouge's ears pricked, hanging onto his words with shaking poise. He didn't say much, and she noted the bland, monotone voice his maw had brought, curious as to why he had that tone. Well. It was none of her business. He was probably someone important to the back, with all her bad luck, and she would pay the price if stupid words came out of her mouth.

Realizing she had said nothing, she attempted to collect her thoughts enough to reply, when he spoke again. The words gave her relief of her fears. So, he was a sklavin, just as she was. Not another member, who would snap and beat her. She grew calm, and she began to speak quite casually. "Why yes, I am a sklavin, just as you are, I suppose." Rouge looked him over once more with curious eyes. "I have not been here long. My name is Rouge." Perhaps she had found a friends, or just a mere ally. Right now, she was just glad for the distraction his presence had become.

[⋆Ravɛn]

BECK

(When it falls apart,
I won't be there)

The moment that Beck announced his own slave status, the female before him seemed to relax, and in turn, Beck relaxed as well. He hadn't been looking for a fight, and fortunately, it seemed like that was the last thing he was going to get. "Why yes, I am a sklavin, just as you are, I suppose." Beck dipped his head. Nice to know that he wasn't in the presence of someone with more authority. Had he dared called a higher ranking member a Sklavin, he likely would have been struck down where he stood. But the gods seemed to smile upon Beck today, rare as that was. When did Beck ever have good fortune?

"I have not been here long. My name is Rouge."

"Rogue," Beck repeated. "I'll remember that. I'm Beck."

He was a wolf of simple words. When he said something complex, however, breaking away from his monotone pitch and short syllables, it was an occasion worthy of note. He could remember well the words he had spoken to the Ethiopian Sklavin, Echo. "Don't hide yourself. Not for anyone." His own words surprised him, for who was Beck to speak on the subject? Constantly he hid behind a wall formed from the ability to not give a damn what anyone said or did. Inside, he still felt. He still wanted things, still felt little pangs of emotion..but so rarely did he show this. He hid, just like a coward.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he glanced to Rogue, smiling slightly. "I haven't been here very long either, honestly. Miss Hayashi picked me up just a few days ago," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I'm still getting used to Durkell. And to the kind behavior from Miss Hayashi.."

He trailed off there, stopping and wondering how Rogue would react. Was she, too, baffled by the Dominor's behavior? Or was she simply grateful instead of questioning, just as Beck himself should have been?

[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Sphuul]

Rouge's observation of the male did not offer very much information. He seemed pretty emotionless, and it baffled her. How could he reign in his feelings so exactly and precisely? Envy shot through the fae for a moment, before her brows furrowed in confusion. Envy? Did she really want to mask her emotions from the world? The answer instantly came to her in a sickening whisper. Yes.. She did. And she wanted it so badly she felt sick.

Shaking off her thoughts, she turned her attention to the male. He had begun to speak, and Rouge had missed part of his sentence. He gave his name, and she felt herself nodding in greeting. "Beck. It is nice to meet you." The fae waited for Beck to speak again, and cocked her head slightly when he seemed consumed with his thoughts. She didn't dare utter a word. Internal struggles were not for outsiders, especially strangers. God only knows how awful she would feel if someone tried to help her with her internal struggles. Shuddering softly, she kept her composure, waiting for the brute to speak once more.

Rouge didn't have to wait long before he began to speak. As his words flew through her mind she began to smile, before squelching the expression. There was no smiling. Not anymore. Not ever. But she did understand his feelings. "Yes, I'm pretty confused by Hayashi's kindness. After the horror stories I was told about Dominor's I expected much worse." She looked away then, a soft sigh breathing through her ivory teeth. "I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. At least if I had a Dominor who was cruel, and enforced his word, I would know what to do." A rueful twist to her mouth, she turned back to Beck. Her brows rose questionably above her eyes, watching his face. Would he question her? Agree with her? Laugh at her? It was impossible to know.

[⋆Ravɛn]

BECK

(When it falls apart,
I won't be there)

Ah, good. So Beck wasn't the only one who was a bit baffled by Hayashi's behavior. He shifted his weight, tan ears twitching as he listened to Rogue's words. In a way, he knew what she meant. He hadn't the slightest clue what to expect from Hayashi. Had Hayashi been a typical Dominor, cruel and ruthless, Beck would have known how to play the game. He would have known when to be quiet, when to speak, what to say, and just how to worm his way into the Dominor's heart, stamping on the impression that Beck was an obedient slave. In reality, a little bit of not caring when a long, long way towards making one believe that you were a good little Sklavin. When you had nothing to lose, yet nothing to risk, what was the point in rebelling or causing a ruckus? Of course, Beck had fled from his Dominors twice. Not exactly to rebel, however. The first time he had sensed that the Dominor was growing tired of him, and by leaving, Beck had done him a favor. Then he was claimed once more by Phantom, but when the Dominor disappeared, Beck saw no reason to mope around.

"I know exactly what you mean," Beck found himself saying. He sat back on his haunches, blinking at Rogue a few times before hurrying to elaborate. "I've had two Dominors before this. The first was a bit on the rough side, but he was nothing...too extreme. And the second...he seemed to be quite harsh. But I wouldn't exactly know. He disappeared shortly after he claimed me." Beck gave a short little bark of laughter that sounded empty, mirthless, hollow.. "Twice I've fled from my Dominors. And twice I was caught. Guess I'm a bad escape artist."

He glanced up at the sky, remembering the way his legs had burned as he fled from Einheit, the way he had cursed when he had noticed the slave trades barrelling right towards him. Instead of giving them a good chase, Beck had stopped and given up, just like the first time he had ran and been caught. He didn't care enough to flee from them, didn't care what would happen when they caught him. Ah, well. He wouldn't have to experience that again. He couldn't exactly see himself running from Hayashi, not when she treated him so kindly. What reason did he have? Chances are he would just be caught again and end up worse off.

"So," Beck began. It was very unusual for him to put so much effort into a conversation, but he figured he might as well get to know Rogue. She seemed...intriguing. "What about you? Have any horror stories?"

[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Sphuul]

The fae had found herself relaxing in this males presence. It was dangerous, and very unknown to her, but Rouge simply didn't know what to do about it. Beck was nice enough, and they had a good bit in common. Well, they were both slaves and they had the same master. That was common enough. Giving her fur a little shake, she shifted her paws as she listened to his stories. Unbelievably, she began to smile. Why? What was so happy about this situation? It baffled her once more, and her mind began to drift.

Her ears had caught enough of his words to nod. "Indeed, you must be. I myself have never attempted running. I didn't see the point.." Rouge's brows furrowed and she turned her head away. Would things be different if she had left? Would things be better or would they have come to this in the end? The fae had always had a master, always followed orders. She probably would have been lost without someone to direct her life. Indeed, what would be the point in leaving? She was happy enough here. There was space, and her newfound master was kind. Isn't that all she could ask for?


As the male began to speak again, Rouge's muzzle turned back to him, an amused twinkle in her eyes. As her words began to register in her head, her smiling facade dropped and she gave a small shudder. Her past had never been uttered, and she had not spoken of it to anyone. So why did she want Beck to know? The fae felt an overwhelming urge to tell him. Her maw opened and she launched into her story, a grim set to her face. "I have only had one master before Miss Hayashi." Her eyes looked at her paws, a bit uncomfortable with her easy going nature at the moment. "He was my father. After my mother died.. Things got worse. I was beaten often." Another small shudder rippled through the fae's body, and she looked up.

This male was a stranger. Why was she telling him this? "I never ran away. He died and I was picked up by slave guards." Rouge gave a slight shrug, attempting to be nonchalant. Her mind was in shambles, attempting to understand herself and Beck's reaction to everything she had told him. "Omaha is gone, and only my scars remain." External scars as well as mental scars. Her father had destroyed every inch of her, including places the eye couldn't see. He had driven her to insanity, and his mark would forever be upon her.

[⋆Ravɛn]

BECK

(When it falls apart,
I won't be there)

As Rogue began to speak, Beck took care to listen. He imagined that it was very difficult for her to tell him what she was, and for a brief moment, he wondered why she was telling him. Not that he minded listening; no, not at all. Rogue simply didn't seem like the type of wolf to freely open up to anyone and everyone, much like Beck himself. Placing every other thought from his mind, he listened to her, keeping his face expressionless. Sure, he had been beaten by his Dominor before. But he had a feeling that it was worse with Rogue, and that it must have been more difficult due to the fact that it was her father. Without being able to help it, a hard frown found a place on his muzzle.

"Omaha is gone, and only my scars remain."

"We all have scars," Beck said slowly, shrugging his shoulders a bit. "It's just that some of us hide them better than others. Some of us manage to make it seem like we don't." He smiled grimly to show that he was speaking of himself; it was a very rare moment, as Beck had just openly admitted that he was simply hiding. He had admitted that perhaps he did care a little about what happened to himself. Hell, Rogue had told him things. Didn't he owe her the same?

"I wasn't always a Sklavin. I was sort of the ignored pup of the litter; neither of my parents cared much for me. I ended up getting very close to another wolf in the pack who had lost his mate. He was very much like a father to me." Beck stopped there, frowning. He was going into too much detail. "Long story short, I watched him die. So scars isn't an unfamiliar word to me."

He turned to glance at her, a forced smile tugging at his lips. "I, personally, think scars make a wolf more interesting. Flaws can be pretty." There. Let her interpret that as she would.

[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Sphuul]

The way Beck had listened to her story, attentive and quiet, had truly relaxed Rouge around him. There was no danger in this male, no reason not to trust him. It would get out sooner or later, whether or not he told the others. If the others even cared. But things were getting ahead of themselves. A life story was not life or death information in any case. Simply conversation. And why was this conversation so important to the fae? Bewildered and curious, Rouge watched the brute as he began to speak.

His words were wise and true, and she felt herself nodding before he had finished. Patiently listening, she added her own theory. "Yes, that is true. Things aren't always as they seem. Exteriors can hide the true damage that can't be seen from the outside." Rouge felt herself looking away as she finished, biting her lip. No, she normally held no trace of the darkness that consumed her on the outside. Her exterior was a small white, innocent female, while her interior was filled with sticky black threads of insanity and fear. They were two different things, forced to coexist with the experiences they had lived through together.

Beck began to speak again, telling the fae of his previous life. It had turned out much differently than hers had. The male had experienced some kindness, known what it felt like to be cared for, even if it was from an old wolf. Her mother had been too crazy to show compassion, and all Omaha wanted from her was her body and obedience. Another flash of jealousy coursed through the fae, quickly chased away by confusion. Was it worth it, to know compassion and have it taken away? Or was it better to always be in the dark, never knowing what it felt like?

The brute looked at her then, a forced smile taking over his expression. He spoke once more, and her brows shot up. "Some flaws can, in a sense. Some simply destroy the wolf, whether it be mental or physical." An embarrassed huff escaped her lungs as she looked down quickly. She hadn't meant to say that, hadn't meant to even hint at the darkness lurking behind her eyelids. It was always there, waiting for its chance to let itself loose. No one should know that, not even this sklavin male who mattered little within pack ranks. "It all depends on the flaw, I guess." She looked up then, a mask of innocence taking up her face. Let him think as he may.

[⋆Ravɛn]

BECK

(When it falls apart,
I won't be there)

"Some flaws can, in a sense. Some simply destroy the wolf, whether it be mental or physical."

Beck tilted his head, observing Rogue closely. She seemed much more relaxed around him, and even seemed to be opening up. Judging by the look on her face, not entirely on purpose, but that was fine. Beck sat back, thinking of how to respond to her words. When she stated that it depended on the flaw, he nodded considerately. "I suppose it does. But a wolf would be so terribly boring without flaws," he said. And what about his own? Had his flaws destroyed him? He told himself appearing emotionless was better, but was it truly just brokenness? Was he shattered on the inside, unable to come to terms with him?

Beck drug himself out of his thoughts, inwardly scolding himself. Broken? No. He was fine. Just fine. He repeated that to himself several times before he piped up again. "So, miss Rogue," he began. "What about your flaws? Have they broken you, or made you?" He waited a moment before adding, "Or is that too personal?" Some wolves, he knew, were very reserved about their pasts. Beck himself was not one of those wolves. He didn't care who knew what. Hell, he would openly tell someone if they asked. But this Rogue..she seemed to be hiding behind a hard wall, and Beck was unsure if he could penetrate it, but suddenly, he very much wanted to.

[/SIZE][/FONT]