After introducing his newest ‘recruit’ to his Wife, he would gently pull the short healer away, and begin the process of showing him through the territory. He had already gotten a glimpse of the Plains, where the pack would soon be moving to, but for now, he could learn this land. “It’s pretty basic, most of the dens are at the base of Redwater Rocks - the territory adjacent to ours that hosts the rest of the Empire.” he explained to the man. “The Oasis is our main source of water” he walked past the tall, willowy trees as he showed the man to Oasis.

“Our prey Cache is here” he pointed to the bloody pile of meat that was being sorted, and what wasn’t eaten immediately would be dried for future use. “Would you like something to eat?” He wasn’t a total monster, he knew he hadn’t eaten all day, and he had already traversed a decent amount, and most of it under duress.

永程

There wasn't much else Yong Cheng could do but follow, lest he should risk himself any 'accidental' mishaps that could arise from disobedience. He pattered after Sirius, doing his best to take in the sights and be a good little drone. It struck him how sandy the place was; grass grew thick at the water's edge, but sparser the further it was from the pool -- what he supposed was the Oasis itself. His mouth grew dry at the thought of yet more clean water; but when Sirius turned away, Yong Cheng did too, and the thirst to drink disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Yong Cheng noted the swaying trees as they passed by them. They were tall, much taller than both he and Sirius, and their trunks stretched like long legs into the sky. The trunks were ringed by ridges, thin strips of protruding bark. At the top of the trees were leaves split down to the vein, fronds shifting in the wind.

Then, Sirius directed his attention to a pile of meat. It was quite literally a pile of meat. Yong Cheng hadn't seen anything quite like that before. A bloody pile of meat in more ways than one.

His stomach rumbled.

Yong Cheng was about to smile peevishly, until Sirius spoke. He couldn't quite believe his own ears. Yong Cheng wondered if he had spent too long at the Shrine and if his ears were therefore now plugged with ash. Slaves were allowed to eat? (That was silly; of course they were. But he had expected to be doing the hunting himself, or lunging for scraps.)

"Yes. Yes please."

He was still in disbelief. Erring on the side of caution, it was better to let Sirius dictate for now, and then when he was more attuned with pack life, get into things himself.

""

OOC:

TABLE BY LEE || IMAGE FROM CHUTTERSNAPI ON UNSPLASH

Sirius was content to take a seat, and give the man a moment to see to his needs. That was one good thing he would find from this whole experience - he would be protected here. He would never go hungry, and well he would be put to work, he could always count on a roof over his head, food in his belly, and protection from others that might mean him hurt.

The fanged giant was more at ease, no longer feeling the need to intimidate the man he had acquired. For this reason, he sat in silence a few paces away well Bird ate his full, rather than towering over the man and ruining his appetite.

The soft sound of birdsong could be heard in the tree tips, and he sensed Bast out there in the woods, perhaps seeking her own breakfast. Once Bird had finished his meal and returned to the Warlord, Sirius climbed back to his feet, and continued onwards. “What are your strengths, and weaknesses? I know you have the knowledge to heal. Do you require further training in this field? Do you know the basics of fighting?” he asked the smaller man.

永程

He was full, for once.

The weight of food in his belly was like a comforting warmth. Yong Cheng ate quickly in small bites, not wanting to drag Sirius' waiting time, but not wanting to overeat either. He felt his eyes begin to moisten a little, the corners gathering small amounts of liquid, but he did not cry, and he did not let Sirius see his wet gaze. He kept his head down as he ate and when he was done, his eyes were dry again.

He nodded his thanks for the meal, and a moment later, they were walking again.

"I'm small," he noted, "And quick." Very quick, he wanted to add, but refrained from doing so. "I'm light, and thus very breakable. But as you can see," at this, Yong Cheng smiled wryly, "I've remained unbroken until now. So I'm agile."

"I can heal," the boy mused, "But I'm limited by age. I'd like instruction. And I can defend myself." It was true -- he could, to an extent. He wasn't going to be winning any battles, but he could do enough to open space to speed away.

He didn't want to tell Sirius that he was willing to play dirty. Fighting so far had been all about survival; Yong Cheng did whatever it took to see the next day.

""
OOC:

IMAGE BY ANTHONY CANTIN ON UNSPLASH

“You’ll find, Bird, that this isn’t the end. No, this is a beginning.” he promised the young man, knowing he still felt some fear at everything that had happened to him. A part of the selfish overlord believed he had rescued the man, offered him something he needed and simply did not know it yet. This would be a mutual thing, for the pack needed bodies, knowledge and workers. Bird needed safety, and pack, and he had found it here.

“The slave rank you possess is nothing but a stepping stone, a place to start from on your path upwards. If you need something, simply ask for it. In return, you will pull your weight, learn your skills, and aid the pack” he explained, finishing the circuit around the Oasis territory. Well they hadn’t covered every part of it, it was enough to have let the man see the basics - where to find water, his den, the food cache, and where Sirius and Zee slept, so he could find them. “Io will train you in the arts of healing, and if you require a more diverse knowledge, there are other healers I can bring in to instruct you.As Zee told you, all wolves in my pack require a basic knowledge of fighting” he continued, hinting once more at the ‘my eyes are everywhere’ feeling he had been giving Bird. After all, he needed to know that the man was trustworthy, and sometimes his soft hearted Wife could get a little silly about words like ‘slave’

“With fighting, I will train you myself, and ensure you know the basics. Midday, bring yourself to the Oasis, and we will begin. In the meantime, your morning is yours.” He finished. He did, despite everything, want Bird to feel comfortable here.

永程

He didn't want to believe Sirius, but the Warlord's voice was genuine. Yong Cheng hurt. He had been stripped of his freedom and it had all been so fast... he steeled his features into something unintelligible, and nodded at his new alpha. As they walked, he took stock of where things were -- Sirius showed him to the Oasis proper, a place where he could rest at night (or whenever he needed to), and then to where the alpha pair slept. It was a rather nice set up, he noted. Everything was situated around or near to the water, and the food was at a communal location all the wolves could access. Sirius and Zeitgeist's den was not too far, but it was still private enough for them.

And it was sandy. Sandy, and dusty, and bitterly cold. If not for the lack of snow, Yong Cheng would have dismissed all claims that Springtime had arrived.

"What is expected of me?" He asked instead, as they walked. "Slavery can't just be about all this." He felt his frustrations spilling out of him, though Yong Cheng kept his voice level and steady. Out of instinct, his ears flattened, but his tail hung limply behind his legs. "Who's gonna order me around? Make me run errands?" Not that he wanted to, of course, but wasn't that what was expected of a slave? Faced with a departure from routine, Yong Cheng felt his gaze leave the surrounding desert, imploring Sirius to tell him what he was really supposed to do.

“Io will train you in the arts of healing, and if you require a more diverse knowledge, there are other healers I can bring in to instruct you.As Zee told you, all wolves in my pack require a basic knowledge of fighting.” Sirius continued, and Yong Cheng returned to observing his new home. He calmed, and his large ears slowly lifted again. At least there was something he could do to occupy his time.

"When will we move...?" In a quiet voice, he kicked a little dust up as he spoke. The volcano's effects would subside relatively soon, and the pack was bound to make a journey elsewhere. "Which land? How long will it take?" He wanted to know.

He ignored the implied threat that Sirius would know what he was doing at all times. Sometimes, it was simply easier to forget about that than to allow himself to contend with such issues. Yong Cheng was going to be a good little pack wolf; Sirius would have no reason to mistrust him. At least, for the foreseeable future.

"In the meantime, your morning is yours.”

"Alright." Yong Cheng replied. There wasn't much else for him to say, so he continued surveying the landscape.

""
OOC:

IMAGE BY ANTHONY CANTIN ON UNSPLASH

In an attempt to strip him down and heal him up, but different, and his instead of free, Sirius would offer him these pieces of kindness. “Myself, Io, and Zee. Io will order you when it comes to all things healing, and that will be a part of your lessons, and assisting the pack. Whatever Zee asks of you, you will get done, and I myself will require some manual labour and your attendance in training exercises. This pack needs you because we are low on members. The majority of your weight-pulling will be with healing. If a wolf is injured, you will attend to them” he said, laying it out more simply, seeing that this wolf needed to hear it. Needed to know what would be expected of him. He could give simple answers for himself and Io, but when Zee was concerned, she could have whatever she pleased. Lucky for Bird, he had already seen his wife was gentle of heart.

Sirius, free with knowledge to a wolf that was his own, was happy to answer the questions he asked. “As soon as the Volcanic ash lessening, we move to the Tall Grass plains, which is a days travel from here” He could feel that change in the season, and had already seen evidence of the ash lessening. He didn’t believe it would be long now.

Sirius, having taken a seat, patiently waited to see if the wolf had any more to ask of him, before he left him to a moments privacy. He could drink, relieve himself, explore, or do whatever he wished within the confines of the pack for that time.

永程

Yong Cheng nodded as Sirius spoke. He noticed the sand under his feet was differing shades of orange and ochre and yellow. Occasionally, there were red grains, and he wondered briefly what caused the difference in tones. Was it the presence of minerals in the water? In the soil? Had wolves simply pissed on the ground so much that it saturated and lost its yellow charm? He wondered also for a moment why he was only just now realising how varied the sand was. Perhaps he had been too preoccupied feeling bad and scared. Now that he was more relaxed, his gait loosened, and he realised he was taking in more than just the scents and directions.

"Okay," he said, "Okay. Can do." Now that he'd been fed, the road ahead didn't seem so daunting. Sirius sounded mostly sincere and it wasn't like Yong Cheng had any reason to doubt him. He'd fed him, watered him, and let him use his herb stock, after all. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad?

The barest hint of a smile swept onto Cheng's face. Sirius had told him all he needed to know for now. There was nothing else he had to ask, so he nodded again at the Warlord.

"Thank you," said the boy. "That's all."


""
OOC:

IMAGE BY ANTHONY CANTIN ON UNSPLASH