tales of blue and red

She committed the name he gave to memory. Something told her that she’d be seeing a good bit of him around the pack if Chimera had gone through the effort of bringing him here and drawing a bath for him like this. He could have taken him to the communal bathing areas, but instead he had been brought to Chimera’s personal chambers and that fact didn’t pass by her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Erystotle,” she replied pleasantly while she worked, working more of the soap into his dirty fur while he combed through some of his pale coat as well. She gave him a smile when he thanked her, noticing how his ears were pinned back with a noticeable shyness when he did so. It was a way of behaving and a reaction to others that she knew well and had lived herself for a very long time and in a way it was almost a bit haunting. It was no fault of Erystotle’s so she tried to ignore the feeling, but she wasn’t so removed from the harsher days she had lived as a slave to not remember what it had been like.

“You’re very welcome, but there’s no need to thank me,” she insisted, finishing her task of massaging the soap into his fur. She sat the soap off to the side and then picked up an empty bowl and began using it to scoop up bowl fulls of water to slowly pour it down his back where the water didn’t cover to start rising out his fur, revealing the pale white coat that had been obscured by dirt previously. The luster of his coat would have to come back over time, but already he was looking far better than he had. She was also surprised by the vibrancy of his markings that she had missed before. He had a very striking look to him that she had never seen before. It was really a shame that life had brought him to this point since he was truely such a good looking wolf. He would certainly get back to looking how he should sooner or later by living here, of that she was sure, but she wished he had never had to get to this point to begin with.

“You’ve come to a good place,” she told him after a few lingering moments of silence. She felt much more confident in that statement than she had felt trying to prepare Aliana for what her life would be when she and Siren brought her home. So much had changed since then, everything was different, and she believed more in Chimera and what he wanted for them than she ever had. “Chimera works hard and he expects the same from his wolves, but he’ll make sure you’re cared for. He’s a good man. I’ve… I’ve experienced all kinds of owners before I was freed, but he’s a good one.” Sometimes she regretted how long it had taken her to come around to that fact. Of course he had been much rougher around the edges when they first met and compared to the sweetness of Siren he had seemed like a brute, but Erystotle was finding Chimera in a good place. She knew he didn’t necessarily have a reason to believe her yet, but she was sure he would if he had any doubts.

With his fur rinsed clean she put the bowl off to the side and then stepped back just to make sure they hadn’t missed a spot and then offered him a paw to help him out of the tub, making sure he made it out okay before reaching for a fur to dry him with. She draped it across his back before settling in front of him, smiling gently as she lifted a corner of it to his face to wipe the water and little remnants of suds from his cheeks. Once he was mostly dry she led him to the servant’s chamber that Chimera had mentioned, finding it already stocked with odds and ends, food and drink. She retrieved a portion of the food and sat it in front of Erystotle. It was only a moderate portion, but she knew with as emaciated as he was eating a lot of food at once wouldn’t do him any good. Slow and steady would have to be the pace for the poor man. ”Go ahead and start eating, okay? I’ll get Chimera.”

She stepped away from the brightly marked man then, going to find Chiemra where he was lounging on the wooden porch, pausing for a moment before leaning down to gently press her nose to his cheek. “He’s clean now and eating in his chamber.” She gave a brief glance over her shoulder back into the room behind her, considering the shy man for a moment. “He’ll need time… Physically, mentally,” she recommended from her viewpoint as a healer and as someone who had been in his place once upon a time. Looking back to Chimera, she gave him a soft smile and added, “Is there anything else you’d like from me while I’m here?”

"Dalila"