Find the Sklavins!

[Kyren]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,250,true][bg=black] X.x "Quote" thought "speech" text x.X I used up all of my tricks Kyren kept to running with long strides, his eye staring ahead watching the scenary as he moved, but more important using his nose and ears. Everything was so aggravating! The running kept him under control enough that his body wasn’t showing too many signs of the anger, the only real sign being the way his eyes glared and the occasional twitching of his lips to reveal a few of his teeth. No snarling, no fur bristling, and most importantly he wasn’t attacking Matrid when she had done nothing wrong. Zy might be a problem. Ky nodded ever so slightly when she complied and moved beside him. He really did hate to explain himself to others, especially sklavins but he was starting to feel he might have to explain a few things to gain his respect, so the sklavins quit wondering why. He wouldn’t explain everything, never, but he could give a little. Sacrifices had to be made for his loss of position. I hope that you like this, but you probably won't Are you alright?" "You seem a little...down, I suppose, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. Hopefully I don't end up offending you." He had to decide if he felt like answering the questions, it truly was second nature to hide his emotions and now it seemed he was quite good at not giving up bits of his past. Was it a weakness if he wanted to confide in someone suddenly? Even if it was as lowly as a Sklavin. Of course he might have to explain a little to Kasimiri,, the question was how much would he tell her? All of it? It might buy even more trust from her, but was it worth it? An twisted grin formed, all those teeth exposed, but it was more at himself than Matrid. “I’ll be fine. The question is if I will be fine after I find Zy.” A few more strides a twitch of a smile again on his face, though not quite as nasty, “I’ve had a really bad week you might say. Whatever I tell you now, you do not repeat, I imagine I can trust you to that.” This said he turned his head to stare at her for a moment, and then back to the front. “One day I’m made blind by my own brother, then due to loss of a challenge I consented myself to be made a sklavin.” Another short pause before continuing, “the challenge was to determine which of us would become the alpha of our pack. Blindness, such a drop in status, dealing with orders given to me, and I’m suppose to tolerate the lack of respect this black fool gives me? Tell me, do you expect I could be fine?” you think you're coller than me Funny, he hadn’t meant to say all that, it was suppose to be just the smallest bits of information about himself. However, it did have the effect of him slowing his gait a bit. Like an infected wound needs to be cleaned, some of the poison had been lanced in admitting his problems. He doubted the calmness would last for long, and he really doubted he’d done a wise thing, but to late to take it back. “Do Not repeat a word I said.” He considered making a rather nasty threat but instead just turned his head to look at her, the anger gone, just a sincere need in its place. “Matrid,” was that the first time he’d used her name? “You are smarter than the other sklavins, you know when to talk and when to keep your mouth shut, it’s the only reason I told you those things.” Probably one of the first compliments he’d ever given a sklavin. Wolf instinct, trust in your pack, and for the moment this was the only one in this pathetic pack he could possibly trust. Words;; 635 Muse;; Very Good Puppets;; Kyren for Matrid Notes;; Ky isn't happy

[⋆Ravɛn]

MATRID

*

"I'll be fine. The question is if I will be fine after I find Zy."

Matrid gave a wry grin, nodding with understanding. She had a feeling that the two wolves were never going to get along. A strong feeling. Sure, one day they could become the best of friends and surprise her, but she didn't seem that happening in the immediate future. The two just both seemed to want attention, and when two people wanted the same thing...fangs flashed.

“I’ve had a really bad week you might say. Whatever I tell you now, you do not repeat, I imagine I can trust you to that.”

She started, even more surprised now. After regaining her footing, she continued to gallop along at his side, but her eyes were on him now as he began to speak, explaining how he had come to lose his sight in his left eye, and then how he had become sklavin. When he had finished his tale, and asked if she thought he could be fine, she shook her head. She wouldn't have been. Then again, it was hard to imagine herself competeing for the position of Alpha when all she had never known was slavery. She honestly didn't think she would ever have it in her to be more than sklavin. The she-wolf's self esteem came no where near close to Kasimira's, or Kyren's. It never would.

He looked at her seriously, asking her not to repeat anything, and she nodded. "You don't have to worry about me saying anything to anyone. It's not my business to tell." She said, her voice sincere. How could she have told the things he'd admitted when he was looking at her with need flickering in his eyes, need for it to remain a secret? She smiled slightly to reassure him, her tail wagging a bit. His next words to her had the appendage wagging even faster.

She drew herself up slightly, pleased. She wasn't used to people being kind to her, certainly not used to them complimenting her. Normally her ears were used to plastering back against her skull, trying to ward off a barrage of insults tossed at her. But Kyren didn't seem like he particularly disliked her, and she didn't see why he would find any need to direct harsh words at her, so she allowed herself to relax slightly.

"Thank you. I truly appreciate it." She said in response to his words. She paused then, thinking over what she said next before she said it. "A secret for a secret, then? I was born into this. The only reason we were conceived was so that we could be prepped as slaves and sold by my father. He was the one who taught me that there was a time to speak and a time to hush. My mother, though, she's the one who taught me to keep secrets. She had a lot herself." She gave a little shrug, pausing to shake off a few bits of grass stuck to her legs that had been bothering her before bounding to catch up with Kyren.

"Anyways. I was sold to this brute, who eventually dropped me off here at Auktion rock, which is where Kasimira picked me up. He was horrible, really, and I'm glad to be away from him. The point of all my babbling is, I've never told anyone else about my past, either. It's not like yours, and maybe it's not as big of an admittance, but a secret is a secret, right? So if you keep mine, I'll keep yours." She gave him another friendly smile. "It's only fair."

She wasn't sure where this was coming from, this excessive sharing all of a sudden. She'd never spoken much, especially not about where she'd come from, and especially not to a brute. Males generally made Matrid feel uncomfortable, but now she just felt...lighter. Almost as if spilling her secrets had made her feel a tad bit better. She trotted along at his side, tail not quite wagging now but still swaying, her ears pricked forward to catch anything Kyren might say as well as the sounds of the things surrounding them. The call of the owl somewhere. Crickets chirping. But still, no other wolves.

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[Kyren]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,250,true][bg=black] X.x "Quote" thought "speech" text x.X I used up all of my tricks Kyren had never paid too much attention to what his mother had said, far more focused on his father’s words. Father didn’t think much of females, they were good for mating and creating pups to eventually become alpha’s themselves, but little more was neeed out of them. Kyren had wanted his father to notice him and so it was dangerous to notice her too often, but he did have memories of listening to her when he was very young, before he understood a female’s place in the pack. The memories were hazy, but they were still there. She had mentioned at some point to remember that there were points kindness worked better than aggression. Foolishness father would have said, and Kyren would have agreed. What was wrong with a good threat? Apparently when you don’t have your status to rely on, perhaps you had to adjust your strategy when there was no title to back you up. A terrible thought struck Kyren. Could he actually learn things at this horrid station that would make him a better alpha? The thought didn’t last long before it was thrown out, or at least stuffed to the back of his head. Either way, the smile she gave him helped make him feel more assure that she would keep his secret. You don't have to worry about me saying anything to anyone. It's not my business to tell." I hope that you like this, but you probably won't Kyren nodded to her words, feeling the sincerity in them rang with truth adding to the confidence he’d felt from her smile. Did she understand the danger she would be in if Kas ever thought she would hide information from dominor? Well, it was a burden she would now have to bare, but probably not a very likely thing to ever come up. "A secret for a secret, then? I was born into this. The only reason we were conceived was so that we could be prepped as slaves and sold by my father. He was the one who taught me that there was a time to speak and a time to hush. My mother, though, she's the one who taught me to keep secrets. She had a lot herself." Kyren slowed his trot for a few strides while she got the grass off her paws an then picked his pack back up again. He remained quiet as she spoke, fining it interesting how much she really did appreciate him sharing. Of course, it was proper for her to be happy she shared, but that didn’t mean the sklavin would do what was proper. She was definitely the best of the sklavins that Kas had picked up. So she was born a slave, that explained how complacent she was about it. Of course most sklavins were either complacent, detatched, or terrified. Most who did show anger eventually got broken with a bit of training and Ky knew if he wasn’t careful about his actions they might just try to teach him that lesson. Still, he just couldn’t fathom living the life of a sklavin from birth. Kyren was good enough not to say his feelings about her father’s decision, but he saw nothing wrong with it. Actually, he thought it a rather good decision. Wolves trained from birth to be sklavins were better off than those that were captured at an older age. They were taught their place growing up, it was less of a shock and there should be no signs of future defiance when that was just simply their life. He offered a slight nod about her mother knowing how to keep secrets an was mildly curious of what sort of secrets that might be, but he was good enough not to ask. you think you're coller than me Anyways. I was sold to this brute, who eventually dropped me off here at Auktion rock, which is where Kasimira picked me up. He was horrible, really, and I'm glad to be away from him. The point of all my babbling is, I've never told anyone else about my past, either. It's not like yours, and maybe it's not as big of an admittance, but a secret is a secret, right? So if you keep mine, I'll keep yours.""It's only fair." Silence. He ran for a while considering her words offering no reaction to the last part. Not, of course the part of her history, he already knew how he felt about that, it wasn’t important. He was more entertained and considerate of how she had wanted to offer him a secret back. “You’re right, I can’t say I feel impressed by your story.” He slowed, then stopped so that he might stare at her to make sure she saw that he was serious about her next words. “However, it means more to you who lived it. I can swear to you that no matter what I will not say a word of what you have said.” He offered her a slight smile, trying to soften the fierceness in his last words, “Thank you, Matrid.” Amazing how hard it seemed to say those two words. Yet he was starting to get a feel that this whole kindness to a sklavin notion did have benefits on occasion. “Understand, I may be bossy at points, and throw out orders, but I do so only for what I believe the packs best interest. As far as Zy, I can’t stand being insulted, I deserve better.” Amazingly the heated anger wasn’t in his voice, just that same blunt honesty, and perhaps a hint of regret of how he got where he was. She might never see this side of him again, but apparently once he’d opened a little he was willing to continue showing some of himself. Again he started trotting, but continued speaking, “are you happy being a sklavin? Do you ever dream of freedom or would such a thing scare you?” Where were those two wolves? Not that he felt a strong desire to find them at the moment. Time away from them, was time to calm himself. Words;; 1011 Muse;; Good Puppets;; Kyren for Matrid Notes;; I ha fun with this

[⋆Ravɛn]

MATRID

*

“You’re right, I can’t say I feel impressed by your story. However, it means more to you who lived it. I can swear to you that no matter what I will not say a word of what you have said.”

Matrid nodded, understanding as she looked at him. She wasn't offended by his words, or bothered in the least. She knew that her story was simple, similar to others. But he was correct, it did mean more to her. There were things she'd been through that she couldn't put into words, things she'd heard and seen that she didn't think she'd be able to describe. And even the simple things meant something to her, because they had all helped make her who she was today, in a way.

The problem was, Matrid didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

When he thanked her, she knew surprise flitted over her features. He simply didn't seem like the type to voice his appreciation, but she supposed every wolf could soften sometimes. At first, when she had first met Kyren, she'd been a bit wary of him. He had seemed overbearing and dominate. The last thing she had wanted at that time was for him to turn his attention to her. But now, here they were, speaking easily to each other. She was growing fond of his company, she had to admit.

“Understand, I may be bossy at points, and throw out orders, but I do so only for what I believe the packs best interest. As far as Zy, I can’t stand being insulted, I deserve better.”

She smiled, knowing what meant. It was true; every time that she had seen Kyren speak up and voice his opinion, like when telling her how close to stand to Kasimira earlier to form a sort of guard, it had been well thought out, formulated information. He was intelligent, that much she could tell for herself. Matrid had never thought of herself as smart and figured that at least one of them had to be.

When he moved again, she followed after him, sticking close to his side. She was glad for his company, glad that Kasimira hadn't sent her out alone. She couldn't remember the last time she had been alone in her life, and she was scared of the very idea. She wasn't sure if it was the idea of another being harming her, of something happening to her, or just the thought that she was completely by herself. Perhaps it was all three mixed.

“are you happy being a sklavin? Do you ever dream of freedom or would such a thing scare you?”

The question caught Matrid off guard. She fumbled with her words for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. "Freedom? I..." She what? She was silent as she gave her thoughts time to settle, to wrap around the idea, before she gave him an answer that didn't sound like it had come from a fool.

"On my way here, when Kasimira sent me from Auktion rock alone, I didn't even think twice about it. I just followed her orders. When I got here, I started to wonder why I had been like that. Why I hadn't thought of running. I guess it's just been this way my whole life. The moment I was old enough to comprehend what was being said to me, my father was beating rules into my head. He made it seem like it was the only way of life that was good enough for me."

She paused, realizing that her voice then made it sound like she had believed her father. And truly, she had. He had made sure she never built up an inch of confidence. To this day, his harsh words stuck in her head. She had figured that it was normal, acceptable even. "Never had I thought 'Are those things a father says to his daughter?' or 'Are you supposed to do that to someone that you're supposed to love?' But I figured out love had nothing to do with it. One of the first things I learned was not to question anything, ever. To question was to doubt, and to doubt your dominor and make it known? Well...that was just downright unacceptable."

"Freedom just seems so..." She frowned. "...impossible.

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[Kyren]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,250,true][bg=black] X.x "Quote" thought "speech" text x.X I used up all of my tricks So, that would be a no. Freedom did not seem to be a thing she’d ever spent time dreaming about. Her father had trained her well. Kyren had imagined he was confident enough of that in the fact she’d travelled alone to meet up with the pack. His anger had faded, leaving a sense of peace, except for a small bit of unease about the idea of being at peace. So long as he remembered his end goal was to leave here, to get revenge on his brother for costing him an eye, and become alpha of a pack of wolves. It no longer needed to be the pack he’d grown up with, now that he’d left it seemed silly to worry about what wolves he led, as long as he was the alpha. “Let me tell you something, the position a wolf is in does not mean that is the most they should strive to be. Imagine a pack of wolves, where even the sklavins were intelligent, where they were strong and loyal. A pack where each wolf knows how to think independently but are all loyal to the alpha and acknowledge the beta for their ranks. An alpha that cannot accept talented sklavins is not very intelligent, and breaking a wolf instead of training it is a waste of potential. I am not sure at the moment how the lady will be treating us, so far she’s been reasonable enough and yet we are all just getting to know one another.” Kyren knew the words were true as he said them, but it was another thing he had not ever considered till now. Disturbing as it was this new point of view was offering him ideas that might just make him a better alpha. To be dominant and yet allow others to show themselves, to see their potential and nurture it to be more. This was getting creepy. I hope that you like this, but you probably won't Again he stopped the trotting to look at her. “Matrid, more than worrying about what any other thinks of you, what is most important is how you feel about yourself. A wolf should know who they are, and never forget. One should not define themselves by the status given to them. Define yourself by who you want to be, and that is how you live. I accept my title is a sklavin for now, but I will not quit doing my best to live up to my best. Even an alpha must know when it has lost a battle, and to accept defeat of that battle so he might win the war later. I will never betray myself.” Kyren turned his head back to where they’d come from, looking as if he could see the lady, “I am a sklavin now, and yet someday I will be an alpha so long as I don’t forget myself.” He imagined that might worry her, make her think he meant to run. Looking up to the sky for a moment, imagining a future possibly a lot farther off than he wanted, “I will not do it by running, or by betraying anyone. These are not traits I want to be known for. The lady will someday acknowledge me for what I am, she will allow me to leave. I don’t know when, in a month? A year? I am a long ways off from when my muzzle starts to grey and my body grow lean regardless of how much I eat, and I have patience.” Well, when he was calm he had patience. A smirk, “I need time to get use to having only one good eye before I go after another wolf anyway.” Turning his head back to Matrid, “I think little of sklavins, and actually I haven’t thought much of a female in the last three years. However, so far you have proved yourself more intelligent than any sklavin I’ve met, I hope someday you can realize that. Only then can you ever work at making yourself into something better. Do that, and I will look favorably on you.” you think you're coller than me Not that he ever paid attention to many sklavins, the ones he’d seen were smart enough to keep their mouths shut and shy away from him. However, while she could keep her mouth shut, Matrid also seemed to know when it was safe to open it. There was an outer appearance of calmness to her he liked. Was there more to her, or was he just so desperate for someone to speak with openly that made all the difference? He imagined part of the answer would come in time, while he waited to see if she considered his advice. Shaking his head he went back to running. Was this the same wolf that was ready to tear out Zy's neck? Kyren certainly appeared calm now. Words;; 803 Muse;; Good Puppets;; Kyren for Matrid Notes;; Kyren getting deep, an talkative!

[⋆Ravɛn]

MATRID

*

When Kyren spoke, Matrid immediately realized that he was giving meaningful advice, and her ears perked eagerly. She figured that it wasn't every day that Kyren spoke in such a way, and that it would be within her best interest to pay very good attention. It would also help her to figure out more about the brute and his views. She nodded to the first words he spoke, agreeing completely, but it was the second part of his speech that truly got to Matrid.

"Matrid, more than worrying about what any other thinks of you, what is most important is how you feel about yourself. A wolf should know who they are, and never forget. One should not define themselves by the status given to them. Define yourself by who you want to be, and that is how you live."

She tilted her gray head to one side, her dark eyes on him as she considered this. She jogged along beside him as she did so, running now without even thinking about it. Her mind replayed his words repeatedly, taking them in. How she felt about herself? When was the last time she stopped to think about that? It was always how others saw her that she worried about, but Kyren's words made her reconsider that completely.

His words about being an Alpha again had her curious, and she listened intently once more. When he spoke of not running or betraying anyone, she thought it sort of...noble. Most wolves would use any method possible, including lowly tricks, to get what they wanted. They had absolutely no shame, as long as they gained what they wanted. It was a nice change to see one who wasn't completely insidious.

“I think little of sklavins, and actually I haven’t thought much of a female in the last three years. However, so far you have proved yourself more intelligent than any sklavin I’ve met, I hope someday you can realize that. Only then can you ever work at making yourself into something better. Do that, and I will look favorably on you.”

She smiled, dipping her head slightly in acknowledgement. "You're very wise, Kyren." She said. "You've actually got me thinking about what you've said. Specifically the part about what I think of myself. I always believed that I thought lowly of myself, but now that I'm reconsidering, it's possible I've just let other wolves make me think I did. If that makes sense."

She was quiet for a while after that, her mind wandering. Then she turned to look at him again. "You're very determined. To be Alpha of a pack, I mean. And I don't mean that like it's a bad thing. It's actually admirable."

She laughed a little to herself. "What you said about thinking little of sklavins and females...I can relate. I used to absolutely despise males. Partially because I was terrified of them. It got better with time, but I still steered clear of them for a while. But as you clearly know, I'm running alongside one right now, having a normal conversation. It's a little surprising, to be honest with you."

She gave him a coy look, a new playful spring in her steps that surprised her much more than her conversing with a brute had. She had thought every playful bone in her body had fallen into eternal slumber or something at least equal to it. But here she was, speaking in an almost cheerful, upbeat tone. "Never underestimate females, sir Kyren." The sir made it obvious that her statement was not serious, but not mocking either, more of a jaunty, good-natured comment.

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[Kyren]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,250,true][bg=black] X.x "Quote" thought "speech" text x.X I used up all of my tricks Well, it was a good sign that she at least was listening to his advice. He certainly wouldn’t be able to give Kas, Tortuga or Zy any advice, and Calliope was probably too timid to pay any real attention to his words, nor did she deserve his words. Calliope and Zy both were in there proper spot in life, they were meant to be sklavins. Was that to mean Matrid wasn’t meant to be a sklavin? She was born to it, so of course she was. Alright know-it-all, if she’s just a sklavin and worth nothing more, why are you wasting your breath, your good advice? A pause as he tossed that thought around in his head for a bit. I’m depressed, I’m lonely. I can’t show it around anyone, except I let her in so I had a release. Now what?

[/i]

[/color]"You're very wise, Kyren." "You've actually got me thinking about what you've said. Specifically the part about what I think of myself. I always believed that I thought lowly of myself, but now that I'm reconsidering, it's possible I've just let other wolves make me think I did. If that makes sense."

He started to offer another smile at the sklavin and then shook his head questioning himself and finding a lot of confusing thoughts turning around in his head. It wasn’t her, it was just so nice to being listened to. Somehow, opening up to her, he was having him speak words that did sound a lot deeper than he really ever went. Kyren had his good eye on her curiously as she claimed him to be wise. He had thought of himself as confident, fast, and talented enough to take down wolves larger than himself. He had known himself to be intelligent, and yet wise somehow sounded like something you imagine for those grey muzzled wolves that had already live a lifetime to gain knowledge.

I hope that you like this, but you probably won't

“A lot of wolves decide their worth by how others believe it to be. We train enough of them to be that way. Certainly any alpha worth anything has helped to train the sklavins to think they are as worthwhile as the alpha dictates. Usually, alpha’s want them to feel they have no worth.” Was he lowering himself in his willingness to talk so much to a female sklavin, or was he just doing things a bit differently? Kyren pushed the thoughts off for now, he’d put deeper questions to himself when it was time to lie down and rest.

They moved along in silence for a time, each to their own thoughts. It didn’t help that they were both new to the area and it was possible Zy had covered some goo distance while he was hunting. Ky couldn’t imagine what had caused Calliope not to follow.

“You're very determined. To be Alpha of a pack, I mean. And I don't mean that like it's a bad thing. It's actually admirable."[/b]

That had his head quickly snap over to look at her. Really, if anything he had wondered if that would still bother him even when he’d told her it wouldn’t be running or betrayal, it just wasn’t something a sklavin shoul say. He nodded his head, his head again tilting up to the sky, ears up high listening to the sounds of nature, “It’s what I’ve always wanted to be, all I’ve ever considered being.” Shaking his coat out, like popping the little bubble he’ been in, “If I must play this part,” a deep sigh, as if preparing to jump in a deep pool of water, “then I will use this experience to see what knowledge I can gain that will help me be the best alpha that ever existed. I will be an alpha that none will disrespect.” Perhaps it was thinking of himself a bit more than he should, but hey, what was life without a few goals, right?

you think you're coller than me

What you said about thinking little of sklavins and females...I can relate. I used to absolutely despise males. Partially because I was terrified of them. It got better with time, but I still steered clear of them for a while. But as you clearly know, I'm running alongside one right now, having a normal conversation. It's a little surprising, to be honest with you."

“I have a feeling I can understand your surprise, considering what I’m doing.” Ky smirked considering how often he’d been doubting himself this entire conversation, “It’s fine to despise those who are below you, those who do not believe what you feel is correct. Just be careful you don’t quit learning when your despising, even those who have nothing in common with you, they might be able to teach you something.” He had definitely just learned that recently! “Matrid, never run from a problem, face it.” A short pause, “and if you can’t face it alone, tell me what it is.” He made no promises, but again he was certainly skirting a line he shouldn’t.

"Never underestimate females, sir Kyren."

As a pup he use to play, but there came a time learning how to be an alpha, learning how to fight was more important than playing. Amusement danced in her eyes watching her spring about him, when had anyone ever tried to play with him before. He sped up just enough to lunge in and take a quick nip at her tail, nothing to damage, just tease.

“Challenging one whom will become the greatest alpha isn’t to wise either, lady.” Ah yes there was tease in that, and a good bit more on the lady word. He called Kas lady, what would she think of calling a sklavin the same thing? Oh well that somehow made it all the more fun. She was likely cuddling with Tortuga, at this moment, and would she do more with that injured leg? Here he was terming a sklavin the same he would her, and enjoying himself. It seemed perfect, he was not betraying her, doing nothing against her orders, and yet stretching the line without her knowing it. Also, he was having a bit of fun as well. Good tension relief.



Words;; 1024
Muse;; very good
Puppets;; Kyren for Matr
Notes;; Wow, Ky didn't tell me about this side of him//Calliope and Zy can join when they like!
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[⋆Ravɛn]

MATRID

*

“Challenging one whom will become the greatest alpha isn’t to wise either, lady.”

His words were laced with teasing, and it made Matrid grin impishly at him. Lady? The word only intensified the playful feeling growing in her very bones. She hadn't played in so long, and all of a sudden her steps were more bouncy, her heart beat just a bit faster than usual, her eyes flickering with a puppyish look.

When he nipped at her tail she yipped a little, quietly so that the others wouldn't hear, if they were close. Just because she was opening up to Kyren didn't mean the she-wolf would behave this way around the others, as well. He was the first one to see her giddy and hyper in...years. Since she was a young pup, for sure. It had always been something that had bothered her father, but with Kyren's advice still fresh in her mind, she didn't care.

"The greatest alpha?" She asked as she danced in circles around him, making sure to keep moving forward as she did. Her tail flicked. She wondered for a moment where Calliope and Zy were. Were they still within the borders of Irrsin? Was it possible that they were so far away that they were still making their way towards the others?

She shook the thought from her mind. It had been a good while, and there was still no sign of them. Matrid was slightly worried about the tentative Calliope, but she knew that Zy could handle himself. If it was herself out there, wandering around somewhere with no response for the Alpha's call, would they worry about her? Or would they simply be irritated and assume she was ignoring them?

She shook her head. They would find them when they found them, and if they didn't, well...what happened would be up to Kasimira. Matrid was still circling around Kyren when she shook herself back into reality, out of her troublesome thoughts.

She shot him the most devilish look she could muster as she stopped on his right side, considerate enough to make sure she could see him. Then she stood still for a long moment, simply wagging her tail back and forth before pouncing forward, playfully nipping at his flank.

This was how she should have played as a puppy, bounding around and pouncing her siblings. She shouldn't have spent long days with her father harshly nipping and pinning her for small behavioral mistakes or for slipping up and forgetting to call him 'Sir'. She shouldn't have been sneaking off to see her mother who she was kept from, pleading with the she-wolf to hear another story of freedom, another story of a different life. She should have been playing, such as she was now.

She maneuvered her body so that she was bowing, the top half of her body on the ground and her hindquarters in the air, tail wagging, the universal sign for 'play'. She eyed Kyren, pretending to assess him. "I'm not sure about the greatest alpha. You'd have to prove that."

It was a challenge. She let it be known in her voice that it wasn't serious, but a mischievous little challenge, her eyes daring him to prove her wrong. She was still grinning wolfishly, her whole body wiggling back and forth now as she kept her gaze on him. It felt so very nice to be relaxed around Kyren, not having to worry about keeping her guard up or keeping her secrets. Yes, she was most definitely harboring friendly feelings towards the brute.

Something she thought that she would never be able to say.

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[Kyren]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,250,true][bg=black] X.x "Quote" thought "speech" text x.X I used up all of my tricks After the nip he watched her jump, his own playful impish grin, certainly not a look he’d used anytime recently. His weight was mostly on his right front leg, his other front leg tucked under him and back legs braced back behind him, rather like a pointer might like in wolf form. "The greatest alpha?" She sure got an arrogant nod for the question this time, his head revolving from side to side as he kept up with her circling form. It was rather like watching a small pup at play, and it looked well suited on her. For the moment he wasn’t thinking about her being a sklavin, he was instead noticing the adrenaline he felt that did not come from rage. When he had first met her, this was certainly not what he had expected, of either himself of her. When she pounced he purposely stalled on leaping back, letting her get in a bit of that nip, make it a bit more fun. On the other hand when she nipped, he did twist his neck around to nip right back at her ear, and only then did he jump away. I hope that you like this, but you probably won't Nearly he play-bowed, nearly he ended up in the same position she was in. Some part of him, a string of reality to who he was and the boundaries he’d set refused to allow him go so far. It didn’t stop him from grinning watching her in such a playful stance. It seemed wrong to burst her bubble quite this soon, an so he still shifted his weight, lowered his head just a bit to acknowledge the play. "I'm not sure about the greatest alpha. You'd have to prove that." That got a snort as he jerked his head down vertically, a glint in those eyes before he charged straight at, launching his front legs into the air to land on her back and front shoulders, head arching downwards so that his mouth could go around her neck, of course not a single tooth would be aimed to cut into her. After his leap at her, he’d then bounce off, with a snort. Closing his eyes he shook his head more seriously, “We can’t do this, not now. If we keep this up we’d likely lose track of time and whether we find them or not the lady won’t be happy.” He had so many mixed feelings running through him it was hard to catch on to one. Sorrow that this had to end. Relief it had to end before he let it go too far. Frustration it couldn’t be his choice right now. Confusion as to what the hell he was doing in the first place. Disgust for messing around with a sklavin. What it ran down to though, he still found regret at the top of the other emotions. Would they ever have another moment like this? It might be back to having to stay distant, and show nothing. Perhaps when reality set in he wouldn’t even want this anymore. That thought sounded both so right and wrong at once. you think you're coller than me Kyren just shook his head and offered a howl up to the air, calling for Calliope and Zy, hoping that though they had not responsded to Kas, perhaps a second howl by him, one that rang clearer would have them come or at least make it easier. “Let’s go.” The words were said softly, that feeling of regret obvious in his voice. “This never happened Matrid. As little as it was, I can think of nothing good that would come from admitting this to anyone. We just travelled together, nothing important said. We discussed my dislike of Zy and confusion about Calliope.” Neither was a lie, it just left out a lot. He turned to walk off, hesitated, “Matrid, I had fun, more now than possibly ever.” Words;; 641 Muse;; good Puppets;; Kyren for Matrid Notes;; Calliope...Zy...here guys

[⋆Ravɛn]

MATRID

*

When he leaped forward, his mouth gently wrapping around his neck, she gave a little wiggle of delight. He bounded away and she prepared herself to pounce after him, but he suddenly straightened and his words brought her up short.

"We can’t do this, not now. If we keep this up we’d likely lose track of time and whether we find them or not the lady won’t be happy.”

She stopped, still in her bowed position for a moment. Then, very slowly, she straightened as well. Her ears remained low against her head, and her flickered with confusion for a short moment. When he threw his head back and howled, she took the time to gather her thoughts and feelings, purposely wiping her face of all emotions. The less that someone saw inside of her, the better.

She tried to tell herself not to take it personally. He was right, after all. What would Kasimira do if she saw them behaving in such a way? Beneath her fur, Matrid's skin flushed, as she was glad it couldn't be seen. What was she doing, behaving like such a puppy? It had been fun, sure, but Matrid wasn't a pup. She was a fully grown sklavin.

“Let’s go. This never happened Matrid. As little as it was, I can think of nothing good that would come from admitting this to anyone. We just travelled together, nothing important said. We discussed my dislike of Zy and confusion about Calliope.”

She could hear the regret in his voice, and she tried to keep it out of her expression, but she didn't know how successful she was. It had been nice, and she was grateful that it had happened at all. Best not look like a complete ingrate.

"I understand, Kyren."

And she did. She had to get her act together, immediately. Pulling herself away from the bouncy, energetic way she had been before was hard. Her heart was still pounding, her thoughts still whispering play! But she harshly pushed them away, mentally shaking herself. She had to help find Calliope and Zy. She had to stop making stupid mistakes.

“Matrid, I had fun, more now than possibly ever.”

She cringed a little before she could stop herself, swallowing before nodding. "I did, too." She left it at that as she followed after him, her head slightly lower now, her posture more slinking but not quite as bad as it had been when she first met him. It was more drooping, and she tried to pull herself up into a more natural position, although her head still remained slightly low, her eyes scanning the area.

"I wonder if they'll think it's urgent and come now." She said, in an attempt to change the subject. If they were lucky, Zy and Calliope would indeed come. The thought of returning to Lady Kasimira with no word of the two made a nervous knot coil in the pit of her stomach. How would she react? Would she take her anger out on Matrid and Kyren?

The thought made Matrid shiver a little. She had used to be punished if she didn't do exactly as her father and previous dominor had said. So far, Kasimira had seemed decent enough. She was not downright cruel or harsh. Matrid hadn't seen her punish another wolf yet either, aside from verbally. Perhaps she would be understanding of the two. After all, they truly had attempted.

She could only hope that Calliope and Zy showed.

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[Kyren]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,250,true][bg=black] X.x "Quote" thought "speech" text x.X I used up all of my tricks Kyren didn’t like having to watch the sparkle of playfulness leave her eyes, but what else could he do? Should he have continued playing with her so that they both might risk being in trouble? To him it could kill of some of Kas’ trust he wanted to gain and he doubted Matrid wanted to risk being punished. Not that Kyren assumed she’d be hurt and not him, the damage to body was not as important as the damage to trust in his mind. What had they actually accomplished? Was she better off now than before, playing with him and rising her spirits? Was it worse now that he had helped her find a desire to play within herself and then taking away the opportunity. "I understand, Kyren." Hopefully she did. Hopefully she believed the reason was because of their position as just pawns in this big game, and it was dangerous for a pawn to move against its pack. Hopefully she didn’t think he was just ending the game because he was tired with her. That certainly would be a more proper reason, but that wasn’t it. He nodded to her anyway, as he moved along his eyes focused ahead, his min shifting between severe focus for any sign of the two wolves, and towards his feelings clutching inside of him. I hope that you like this, but you probably won't He saw her flinch at his words that had been meant to have helped her feel some pleasure, even if it was only bitter sweet. What else could he offer? There were no promises he could possibly make her about tomorrow, or even five minutes in the future. He could offer her goals of what could be, but that seemed to shallow a thing. The irony of it all was that if he were a free wolf, he would never have noticed her to have such feelings. "I did, too." His eyes shifted to her again, well one eye, and then away. He nearly spoke, nearly offered her a promise of possibilities and then decided again it was foolish to even suggest what he may never be able to give. For all he knew, after a day of sanity and proper behavior, he may not want anything to do with the sklavin female anyway. It would certainly be easier if he felt that way. It wasn’t always a good thing to allow sklavins to care to much about each other. Wouldn’t want them forget that the first loyalty is to the dominor and not the other sklavin. you think you're coller than me "I wonder if they'll think it's urgent and come now." “I wonder if their foolish enough to try and not return. I doubt Calliope would try such a thing, but I’m not as positive that Zy couldn’t talk her into following him so that she’s not alone.” His words were darker now as he considered it. “I imagine once we fin their trail we shall simply follow until we catch up with them, or until the lady calls again.” He’d been deciding when to feel they’d gone so far that they should give up, and while he wasn’t sure that was the right answer, he hadn’t bothered asking when the lady had left them alone. Amazing how many chances he’d been given to escape and his honor alone held him from leaving. Honor was a good trait, but there were times it was rather annoying. A cruel joke for someone to get a good laugh at. Seeing her shiver, still upset he moved a bit closer to her, and despite all good judgment nudged up against her side, offering her a slight smile to hopefully reassure her. It wasn’t hardly anything but he dared not offer more. Either it was enough to help or it wasn’t. Shaking his head he continued in his search for a trail. Life use to be so much easier. Words;; 643 Muse;; good Puppets;; Kyren for Matrid Notes;;

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MATRID

*

“I wonder if their foolish enough to try and not return. I doubt Calliope would try such a thing, but I’m not as positive that Zy couldn’t talk her into following him so that she’s not alone.”

Matrid thought about this for a while. Would Zy really do that, risk Calliope's life by taking her off with him? Matrid knew if it were her, she wouldn't be able to do it, risk another. Perhaps herself...but she would never drag someone with her. Not that she was considering leaving or anything. She wouldn't dare. But what if Zy and Calliope had gone? Oh, Kasimira would be absolutely furious...Matrid could only pray they were still around.

She had remembered when Nim had still been her dominor, there was a stubborn little wolf who's name Matrid had never quite caught. She had made a run for it one day, and Nim had sent his Beta after her. Hours later, the Beta had returned dragging the bloodied sklavin behind him. It had been nothing compared to what Nim had done, dragging her out in front of the rest of the pack and proceeding to both verbally and physically tear into the sklavin until she was laying still on the ground, her excessive twitching the only sign that she was alive. Matrid could perfectly remember the way Nim had sounded when he threatened "I'll break every single one of your damn legs, let's see you run then." He had only broken one, but it was enough.

Would Kasimira ever do something like that if one of her slaves left? Break a bone, say the harsh things that Nim had said? Matrid hoped not. She had wanted to escape from a dominor like that, not be passed onto another one. So far, she had heard Kasmira sharply reprimand others, but never actually had she seen Kasimira lash out at a wolf. So far, so good.

“I imagine once we fin their trail we shall simply follow until we catch up with them, or until the lady calls again.”

She nodded, her paws thumping against the ground as she moved. Her nose worked overtime to try and pick up the scent of the others. Her ears swiveled in all directions, picking up all of the whispered sounds that the land scent her. The world seemed asleep for once, calm and peaceful. Her and Kyren were the only source of movement in the darkness, hanging over them like a thick blanket, their only light coming from the moon.

She was lost in thought when he nudged her, and it caught her off guard. She turned her head sharply to look at him, eyes slightly wide. Then, a small smile passed over her maw. She wouldn't have been able to hide it if she had tried, so she let it show, continuing to run at his side but slightly closer to him now. She was feeling less ridiculous and feeling just a tad bit warmer inside.

The thought suddenly hit her that she had no idea what would become of them now. Would they go back to Kyren looking down on females and sklavins, and her fearing males? Or would they be something like...friends? Was Kyren just feeling particularly kind tonight? The thought had her ears twitching nervously, her eyes moving to rest on the male close by her. She didn't know how she would react if he suddenly started treating her like nothing. Would she be able to forget tonight and deal with it?

"Kyren?" She said, making sure she kept walking and sniffing as she spoke, her eyes still working to detect any movement. She turned sharply as something moved to her left, but it was a raccoon scurrying across the grass, searching for shelter. She growled before looking back to Kyren. "What's going to happen now?"

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Calliope

<sup>Tan paws hit the packed earth of the meadow as Calliope ran across it. The scent she followed lead her on a straight path through clumps of trees and bushes, rather than the zig-zag trail she expected from a wandering wolf. As each minute, every second, went by, her panic grew. She had to find him, and she had to find him now.

When Kasimira's howl reached them up at the dens, the other wolves rushed to meet her, as any pack should do. However, Calliope knew that with such a small gathering, even one absence would be noted, especially if that absence usually made himself very noticeable. Zy's trail was easy to pick up; after all, she already had the direction. Calliope thought she would find him stalking prey and quickly inform him of Kasimira's return. She had assumed they would be back before anyone missed them. What she didn't plan on was Zy abandoning any attempt to hunt and deciding to walk right across Irrsin.

"Zy! Zy, where are you?" Calliope had been repeating the same five words over and over as she traveled. So far, Zy hadn't answered. Either he was ignoring her, or he was too far away to hear her. Even though it would mean he was upset with her, Calliope hoped it was the former.

She sighed with relief when she came to the crest of a hill and saw his shape down below. Everything would be alright now. Her eyes bulged as she realized where she was and what Zy was doing. Currently, he was crossing the border. Sklavins never crossed the border alone.

"Zy!" Calliope gave one last desperate call before Zy disappeared into the distance. He seemed to be angling for the free lands, but his pace did not suggest a wolf on the run. More likely he wanted to be beyond the reach of his mistress for a while, but she couldn't know. The panic returned as she realized the implications of what she had witnessed. Firstly, she would be very late greeting Kasimira and the ebony fae would not be pleased. Second, she would have to explain why she was late and why Zy was not with her. It was her duty as a slave to turn him in and point her Alpha in his direction, but some irrational part of her wanted to protect him.

There was another option. She could follow him. Calliope wonder what he would say when she caught up with him and told him she wanted to run away. If, she corrected herself, Not when, if. It certainly seemed like an attractive option, with Kasimira's new mate and the overbearing Kyren waiting for her back at the dens. But what was waiting for her out there? A brief fling with a flighty brute and a life on the run?

Turning her skinny body around, she began her trek back. Calliope tried to piece together a convincing story as she walk. She could honestly say that she went looking for Zy, but how would she explain her failure to find him? More importantly, she couldn't give herself away with a nervous twitch or stuttered sentence. Absorbed in crafting her tale, Calliope barely noticed as she approached the dens. Emerging from behind a hill, she found Kyren and Matrid roaming the land. The femme drew in a deep breath before running toward the pair.

Pulling up short right in front of them, Calliope spoke with ragged breaths. "Have you seen Zy? I can't find him anywhere. I wanted him to be there to greet Lady Kasimira, but I can't find him anywhere and now I'm so late and--" She forced herself to stop talking so she could catch her breath. Lying had been easier than she thought. Once she began to talk, the words just flowed out. However, she didn't need to fake the fear when she spoke again. "Is Lady Kasimira angry with me?" Her amber eyes found Matrid's brown ones, pleading for good news.</sup>

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Finished! :3

[Kyren]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,250,true][bg=black] X.x "Quote" thought "speech" text x.X I used up all of my tricks How long would he spend trying to untangle these feelings later? Even after he did that would it cost him even more time to choose how to handle these feelings? Getting rid of them might be the most appropriate thing to do. Could he do that? Perhaps the answer was yes, but he had to work at convincing himself that was what he wanted to do, or needed to do. After nudging Matrid he saw he’d caught her attention, and it had got her to smile again. Certainly she hadn’t regained any spring to her step, but now she wasn’t drooping so much. Interesting that he cared about her feelings, and not just his own. He didn’t bother to continue looking at her as she stayed closer, he didn’t really need to, she was close enough now that even that inner sense, that simple knowledge said she was there. "Kyren?" When he shifted his head to look at her he felt his tail twitch in amusement as he watched her spin her head around to watch a raccoon running off. With the raccoon gone he put his gaze on her questioningly but before she answered he turned his head around to keep searching for signs of the two missing wolves. I hope that you like this, but you probably won't "What's going to happen now?" There was a loaded question. What answer was he suppose to give her now? Did she want to hear everything would be fine and they’d be able to stay friends? That they would be able to ignore what others thought and that Kas would have no problems with them getting attached? Perhaps she hoped he’d say no more angry and demanding Kyren? All of those statements would be lies, and they might make her feel better for a little while, but it would be obvious soon enough. Finally! Kyren was distracted from her question, catching the scent of Calliope and Zy he picked up his pace to a fast trot, but then shifted back over to a slower trot. They hadn’t had time to play like they were pups once again, but it wouldn’t hurt if they didn’t charge after the two. Ky didn’t bother telling her he found the scent expecting she’d noticed it about the same time. She’d asked him a question and at some point he had to answer it, or the silence itself would become an answer. “Do you really not know, or do you know but hope I’ll say something different than your expectations. I told you earlier that no one can know what really happened. I will continue to demand respect of the sklavins. I won’t tolerate Zy’s mouthing off. I will do what the lady wishes until it is time for me to leave. I desire to prove I am above a sklavin and so I will form no close attachments.” The words came out bluntly with no signs of mercy mixed in, this was the voice of the Kyren she had initially met. Trying to soften the words would help no one. you think you're coller than me More silence followed a few beats, his ears pricking when he a noise farther off. Calliope! Sounded like she was hollering for Zy. He started to pick up his pace once again but changed his mind. “Matrid. I make you no promises, but perhaps the lady will let us hunt together at points as a pair. You know my handicap, you would work with me better than the others. Learn Matrid. Learn to send me tells that help me know whats going on where I cannot see. Shifts in your body, soft sounds, these type of things will prove you have become useful to me so that they do not see us wishing to be close, just that I have found a tool I wish to keep near me.” A deep sigh, “or don’t, and then all of this can end and we can accept reality again. Reality says we should not try being friends. I leave it up to you to determine what shall happen but show no signs of this. Say no more, we are close.” Another moment and then suddenly there was Calliope. It was obvious she’d been running by her harsh breathing. It was also apparent she had not found Zy, both by her faint words from before and obviously no signs of him now. He sat down, and focused his gaze on Calliope, seemingly ignoring Matrid as he had done when they first met. "Have you seen Zy? I can't find him anywhere. I wanted him to be there to greet Lady Kasimira, but I can't find him anywhere and now I'm so late and--" “You followed his scent to here didn’t you? We followed your trail meaning it would be rather unlikely we would have seen him. Unless you passed by him and failed to notice, or noticed and ignored it? Yet you were calling for him weren’t you? So most likely you did not pass him, I doubt you would waste time plotting such an elaborate scheme.” Kyren glanced past her, “however, if we follow the path you were on….is there water ahead that hides his scent, or something else that gets in your way?” Unless he was missing something his logic seemed sound to him. Would Zy double back on his trail, but if he did wouldn’t they have run into him? "Is Lady Kasimira angry with me?" “Lady Kas is injured, and she is happy with little besides her mate. She thought we would all come when she howled and I doubt she will appreciate knowing you heard her howl and did not come. No told you Zy was your responsibility. However, the wolf to ask about how she feels is lady Kas herself, and she wants you and Zy to go see her.” The tone was cold as ice, letting her know he wasn’t thrilled with her either. At least that’s what he planned to show. To be honest he hadn’t mind spending time away from the lady at all, and other things about the trip had been pleasant. That was none of her business. Words;; 1017 Muse;; Good Puppets;; Kyren Matrid and Calliope Other chars here Notes;; Ain't Ky all warm and cuddly?