Life has been strange, chaotic, and disheartening for the youngest litter of Recluse’s. The pack was claimed when they were young and much of their beginning months of life were spent on the run. Enki is tired; of running, of living in fear, of not knowing what will happen next. This war with Medusa has drained him and all he wants, is for all this uncertainty to end. He has found a salutation to this problem and now, he only hopes that the woman will hear him out.

Paws pull him toward the flat plain that Medusa’s pack, Insomnia, has claimed. None of his siblings know what is about to happen and he would rather keep it that way. If he shared his plan, Enki is afraid that they try to talk him out of it. No, this is his burden to bare and he will do it alone. Nearing the invisible border that marks pack lands, the pale pink boy stops outside. Swallowing down his fear, the boy tips his head back and howls a call for Medusa. With that done, all he can do… is wait.


"Enki Klein"

She was teaching Rue how to flay the skin of a rabbit today. It was smaller and easier to deal with, and soon enough she would be getting good enough to be able to work on bigger creatures. Blood painted the whites of Medusa's fur. It was splashed on her forelegs and her face as she showed her daughter how to do it. As she began to peel the skin back from another subject, her ears twitched when she heard the sound of someone calling for her. She paused in her task as she glanced in the direction where the call had come from. The voice wasn't at all familiar, so she wondered who it could be. Leaving the half-skinned rabbit for Rue to finish, Medusa trotted towards the border, not even stopping to wash off the blood as she approached. Her brows shot up in surprise as she recognized the wolf standing there. She knew who it was. Sort of. Maybe not specifically, but the scent alone and the fact he was young told Medusa what she needed to know. It was from Recluse's youngest litter. Huh. Well, at least it was one less that she had to go hunting for! Approaching the lanky boy, she grinned at him. "Does Recluse know that her boy is here? Or did the boy get tired of hiding?" She questioned. Surely Recluse hadn't sent the kid here on his own, right? Or maybe he was looking for his dad and other siblings...or maybe he got scared that she was out hunting them? Whatever the reason, there was no malice or meanness in her voice. She was casual as casual could be. No hint of a threat or anything. "Medusa"

It is clear, from Enki’s demeanor, that he is not here to threaten or fight with the skeletal marked woman. In fact, when sees her blood marred form trotting toward him, his ears slick back in sadness and his shrinks into himself. For so long he has lived in fear of her, even though he has never laid eyes on her before. She grins at him and an uneasy smile ripples across his lips for a moment.

The questions that follow have the smile slipping away as a grave countenance replaces it. Head shakes in the negative as he says, “No. Actually, no one knows I am here. I wanted to talk to you… alone.” It is true, none of his family knew where he is or what he is about to do. Taking a deep breath, he pulls to his full height, ready to carry out his plan as he says, “I am Enki and I have come to offer you a trade.”

There is an almost pleading look in his eye as he gazes at her, hoping that she won’t just wave off his words and take him into pack land.


"Enki Klein"

The boy's demeanor was a strange one. He looked scared. Or maybe she was trying to read into it too much. Whatever the case, whatever he was here for beyond returning to the clutches of Insomnia, seemed important. The boy she had never met but had ended up as one of her prisoners answered her. Informing her that nobody knew he was here but that he wanted to talk to her alone. She glanced back towards pack lands, then towards the lands that lay past the boy, almost as if she was expecting this to be some sort of trick. Surely if he knew he was a prisoner of hers, he would've kept his distance like the others, no? But here he was. He stood up to continue addressing her, wanting to offer a trade. Her head cocked to the side, dual-toned gaze searching his as he offered his name. Enki? That was his name? She had never met Recluse's younger litter, and truth be told she didn't have anything against them at all. She just liked to get under Recluse's skin.

"Medusa is listening, Enki." Her tone remained neutral, not unkind, as she waited to hear what he wanted to say. Any other wolf might have just swooped down on him and taken the opportunity to keep him here without a second thought. But Medusa had been doing her best to be merciful to those she had claimed from Habari. And so far, she'd been doing exactly that.

speech

code by Cloudy; art by Cloudy

Enki had grown up hearing stories of how unkind and scary Medusa is and, in his mind, she had become a sort of boogieman. It had been made clear to him that he should avoid her and her pack at all costs Yet, here he is standing across from her, afraid of the storybook version he has in his mind, but finding that real life is vastly different. His posture is rigid but not in a threatening way; no his muscles are stiff because of what he is about to propose. In a neutral tone, she invites him to elaborate.

Releasing the breath that he did not realize he was holding, the boy nods gently. Looking her straight in the eye, he calmly begins, “Medusa, I am sorry about what happened to at the hands of Habari. I am sorry that you felt the need to take out your revenge on my mother and her pack. But most of all… I am sorry that we got caught in the crossfire.” Head bows slightly as offers his apologies, which are genuine and heartfelt. Straightening back up, Enki continues on, “But Medusa, my littermates and I, we had nothing to do with what happened to you.”

He implores her to understand, his gaze turning soft as he pleads with her in unspoken words. After a moment, Enki gives his head a gentle shake as he goes on, “Now, I don’t expect you to just release us because we are your prisoners and have no rights. However, this is where I propose the trade. Medusa, I promise to give you two years of life, working in your pack for the betterment of it and all wolves in it, if you grant my littermates their freedom.” His breath hitches as his heart hammers painfully against his ribs waiting to hear her verdict on his trade.


"Enki Klein"

She doesn't know what's been said about her. What's come from the mouths of those who truly didn't know her. The whispers from those that had no clue what she was really like. All anyone really saw on the day of the challenge was the Medusa that had made it to her breaking point. The fight that Recluse had forced because of her own cowardice. Medusa had had enough which had led to that day, and thanks to Recluse, it had sealed the fates of those she claimed to love but had ultimately abandoned. And instead of Recluse standing here begging or fighting for the freedom of her children whom she claimed to love soooo much, it was the child. Okay, maybe a yearling, but still fairly young. The boy Enki looks stiff, Medusa can tell. But still, she waits calmly, unusually and uncharacteristically quiet as she waited for him to speak.

He started by apologizing. Which in turn, caused her to tilt her head as she listened. In her mind, he was apologizing for his mother's wrongdoings. While it was true that Enki and his littermates had never done her wrong, she supposed she had taken them as one last chance to see if Recluse would crawl out of her hole and show that she loved those she claimed to care about, but the bitch had failed once again. Instead, Enki stood here, pleading with Medusa and offering the apology that his mother should have long ago. His tone sounded genuine. Soft. No malice or sarcasm or hint of reluctance. Okay, maybe there was in his body language, but that was understandable. He was afraid. And again, while she had no clue what he'd been told about her, he would likely see for himself that whatever he'd heard simply wasn't true. Or at least, most of it, anyway. Though she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed compared to most, she still had a heart and understood things just fine.

Then he drops his proposal bomb. Telling her that he was basically willing to give himself up if she released his littermates. He promised her two years of his life. Two years to Insomnia. Would the pack even last that long? Who knew. But regardless, he was offering it anyway. And hey, she knew that if Insomnia were to fall before then, they were all free to go. At that point, she likely wouldn't care anymore. She probably would find some other obsession and go on her merry way.

She remains quiet for a few moments as she absentmindedly looks up at the sky in thought. It seemed she would never truly get anything worthwhile from Recluse. The white bitch would continue to prove her own cowardice, and in Medusa's head, that was enough. She knew the truth of things, and that's all that really mattered at this point. Maybe. "Enki should not be the one standing here and saying sorry for the things Recluse did. But he is, and she isn't." She turned her head to look at him. "Medusa respects Enki for that. Way more than she could ever respect Recluse." She dropped her hindquarters abruptly to the ground, briefly feeling something sticky as she wrapped her tail around her toes, and forgot that she had blood on her. Oops! Maybe that was part of the reason that Enki was afraid of approaching her, too? Oh well. "Medusa has been waiting for Recluse to prove that she wasn't a coward. To come and try to get the ones she says she loves, but she has not. Enki might not know, but Medusa did a lot in Habari, and tried to fight for her freedom because she was not told that she had a chance to not be a slave. If Medusa had known that, Habari would still be Habari, and Medusa would probably be there not as a slave." Straight facts. "Medusa wanted to fight for her freedom when she realized she would be nothing but invisible and treated meanly by Habari and Recluse. But Recluse just let her go. Enki might think it sounds dumb, but to Medusa it wasn't. Medusa wanted to fight." She wasn't sure how to explain the why behind it, so she left it at that for now.

There was definitely a lot to unpack still, but Medusa wasn't going to bore him with the details of her past and her grudge against Recluse and half of Habari. "Medusa accepts Enki's offer. He will stay here, and his littermates can go free. Enki will not be a slave, and if he chooses to stay like Enki's dad, Ghoul, and Widow, then Medusa and Enki can talk about it. But if Enki still wants to go, then Medusa will let him go when his promise is done." She nodded to him. If she was anything, she was honest. She had no reason to make up lies or twist the truth. Hell, she had told an alpha or two already that she had Habari prisoners! While it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, she had no plans to keep the Habari wolves prisoner forever.

speech

code by Cloudy; art by Cloudy

Tension holds him rigid as he speaks, his mind warring between the image he has held in his mind and what Medusa is really like. The blood on the woman does put the boy on edge a little but a simple test of the air proves that it is not another wolf’s. Enki lays down his offer, hoping against hope that she will accept it. As Medusa tilts her head skyward, he holds his breath, feeling his head swim with dizziness at the prospect of failing his siblings and not winning their freedom. When she turns her gaze back to him, the boy allows himself to breathe as she begins to speak.

Medusa tells him that she respects him for coming here and a small smile ticks at the corners of his lips. It felt good to be acknowledged, to have his efforts recognized while he is trying to do something that will help his family. As she promptly sits, Enki slowly follows suit, lowering his haunches as he comes to sit lightly on the ground. He listens to Medusa, allowing her the room to say her peace without interruption or ridicule. As she finishes her story, the boy nods absently as a saying floats lazily to the surface of his mind; “We are all villains in someone’s story”.

Finally, she accepts his offer and he feels his shoulders sag with relief as he gratefully nods to her. His eyebrows lift in surprise to hear that his father is here and wants to stay. Part of him feels betrayed but he shoves it away because part of him knows that some of his family may soon view him in the same light. Looking to Medusa, Enki says, “Thank you Medusa. I only want to add one term to this agreement. I will never ever raise a paw against my family. So, please, do not ask me to.” If she ever tasked to… well he will cross that bridge when he gets there.

There is something else he wants to tell her, “We all have our reasons for doing things and I certainly understand wanting to fight for you freedom. While I might not approve of everything that happened, I honestly understand your reasoning.” With that voiced, he stands, ready to follow Medusa into Insomnia land and toward whatever the next two years of his life brings.


"Enki Klein"

She let her words sink into the boy. Waiting to see what he'd think. What he'd say. She didn't expect much if anything. She had laid out the bare minimum of her reasoning as to why she did what she did. Why they were here. Sure, she could just let them all go and leave it at that, but what was the fun in that? She didn't know if Recluse suffered from losing everything. Or if she suffered at all. Clearly, if Enki was here giving himself for his loved ones, it was more than she could say Recluse would ever do or had ever done. And for that, she respected him. And who knows, maybe she'd have a change of heart and let him go sooner rather than later, but she liked him. Maybe she'd just keep him. The thought alone pulled a small giggle from her lips, but alas, she was a woman of her word and wouldn't go back on it. Not without good enough reason, anyway.

“Thank you Medusa. I only want to add one term to this agreement. I will never ever raise a paw against my family. So, please, do not ask me to.” She raised a brow at him. While it was a noble request, Medusa wouldn't make any promises. "Medusa can't promise that. Some of Enki's family does not like Medusa for winning Habari. Medusa can fight her own fights, she has done it since she was a pup. She will protect herself and the wolves that follow Medusa. That includes Enki, and Medusa hopes Enki will do the same." After all, she had no control over whether or not his own family would see him as a traitor and go after him. Would she have to protect him then? If so, she would. But would he protect himself and fight against his own blood if she wasn't around? That was a matter up to him. Her pack, after all, while chaotic and disorderly, still had its own code. Insomnia was karma, and she'd be damned if she didn't extend that to those deserving of either her protection or her teeth. She got up as he did and turned to lead the way into the lands she owned, glancing back to look at him. "Even if it means Enki has to fight his own family."

The yearling seemed...sweet. Innocent. Too pure for this world. She doubted he had undergone much struggle or strife outside of becoming an Insomnian Curse. Recluse didn't deserve such a child. Such a shame his mother let things get this far. "Medusa will let Enki see it for himself. He'll understand one day." While she didn't have a family of her own outside of her children that she knew about, she heard stories from outside sources and had seen with her own eyes that family wasn't always loyal to one another. Wasn't always full of that unconditional love they were supposed to be. Wasn't always sunshine and rainbows. She had seen and heard about families turning on each other. Even to the point of killing those they claimed to love. For what reasons, she wasn't entirely sure. But she remembered when someone told her that family was often more than just those that shared the same blood.

She led him further through the plains, debating whether or not he should stay within the Tar Pits, or be allowed a chance to have some freedom within the plains. Maybe it was best to play it safe for now...even if he seemed genuine. "Enki will stay in the Tar Pits for now. Misery, Eraithus, and Viscera are there. Ghoul, Widow, Macabre, and Morte are in the plains. But because they were not well and Medusa has been taking care of them." She said casually as she trotted along.



speech

code by Cloudy; art by Cloudy

Even as Enki voices his term, the young man knows it is a fool’s hope to put such limits on his stay. Medusa speaks, explain the flaw in his logic and he expels a soft sigh she finishes. Offering an understanding nod, the boy says, “If that happens, I will fight them. But… if you ask me to go hunt down any of my family, I absolutely will not… okay?” Eyebrows quirk in silent question as he amends his stipulation, knowing that, if his family comes to fight against the woman, he will have to stand against them.

Another nod is given at her words of seeing for himself and he offers the woman, who had been so scary in his mind right up until their meeting, a weak smile. For better or worse, their fates are tied together for the next two years. As they walk, Enki allows his gaze to shift to the grassy plain and Medusa continues to talk. The tar pits sound scary but the boy is ready and willing to do whatever is needed of him and, if that includes ekeing out a living in the tar pits, then so be it.

However, the mention of his father and several members of his family living both here, on the plain, and, in the pits, has his paws faltering a moment. Familiar faces will be welcomed and he quietly asks, “Can I visit my family members that live here in the plains?” No matter what has happened, they are all here and he longs to be with them. A thought occurs to the young Enki right then and he turns his gaze to the skeleton marked woman as he also asks, “Will I be allowed to go explore neighboring lands?”

It is an innocent question and the boy simply wishes to know what lands he will have access to during his time in Insomnia. After all, exploring brings him happiness.


"Enki Klein"

“If that happens, I will fight them. But… if you ask me to go hunt down any of my family, I absolutely will not… okay?” She didn't turn to look at him when he said this. Not fully, anyway. She sort of half glanced until he was in her peripheral and nodded. She wouldn't make him hunt them down. She had other wolves to take care of that, anyway. She just hoped he was prepared to fight against his so-called family should any of them come knocking in an effort to tear down Insomnia. After all, he had other family members here that were willingly calling Insomnia home. She supposed in the moment and when the time came, it was up to him.

“Can I visit my family members that live here in the plains?” This time, she looked at him as she continued her path across the plains. She was a bit doubtful at first, but considering he came here of his own free will and seemed genuine and truthful, she figured why the hell not? After all, it would be cruel to keep him away from the family he longed to be with. Something she didn't quite understand considering she had none...at least, not until she had her pups. But they were chaotic rays of sunshine, and while she loved them, she couldn't say they were anything sort of close-knit. No Brady bunch, here! "Yes, Medusa will let Enki see his family in the plains." Should he do anything shady, well...her companions made for a good set of eyeballs to keep her in the loop. Then he poses another question about exploring neighboring lands, and for this, she falters just a bit before continuing her stride.

She supposed he wasn't asking for much. If she completely restricted his freedom, that wouldn't make her any better than Recluse had been to her, right? And if she did restrict him as much as Recluse tried to do to her, she suspected he would probably end up doing what she had done, and sneak out to go do whatever and go wherever she wanted. "Yes, Enki can. But someone needs to go with Enki." She looked at him as she walked, "To be safe." She added. After all, who knew what dangers lurked now that Insomnia might have potential enemies.



speech

code by Cloudy; art by Cloudy