Settling in

The boy—Wylan—insisted she just address him by his name instead of some title, and Marina's brain nearly broke. She looked up at him then, scrutinizing him with suspicious eyes. Every wolf she'd encountered since her enslavement had either been an asshole bent on using her to their purposes or a fellow slave. Why was he being so unsettlingly friendly to her? This had to be some sort of trick to get her to let her guard down. A 'good cop, bad cop' routine to make her more compliant. Well, she wouldn't be deceived so easily. She could see through that fake smile and happy-go-lucky facade. She would not let this Wylan character get the better of her. He was just another obstacle between her and her freedom.

His examination began, and quickly he deduced the bruises and lacerations would need aloe vera. Oh goodie, the torturer knew his way around basic medicines... She flinched and tensed up on reflex as he went to smear some of the fresh aloe onto her injuries, half expecting a strike to come at any moment. But it never did. Instead, he asked her permission to touch her, and again her suspicions rose. Lilac eyes stared dubiously at the larger male, trying to decipher what the hell he was up to. What game was he playing with her? But with no reason to deny her new master, she simply nodded wordlessly. The strike was surely coming now. Only... it didn't. Gentle paws began to rub the aloe into her skin, the cooling sensation immediately helping to soothe the aching bruises. Softening her up for whatever horror came next, no doubt.

Wylan asked if she was having difficulties walking or breathing, surmising that she'd been in a fight. "Something like that..." she murmured mostly to herself. Technically it could have been called a fight, if it was an entirely one-sided fight where she was held down and beaten until she couldn't even whimper anymore. "Everything hurts." The bruises on her chest where she'd been kicked ached with every breath, though fortunately no ribs were broken. Her hind leg had been dislocated and mediocrely reset by the slavers' medic. It would need to be properly set if it was to work without a limp. The litany of lacerations across her body would either heal or scar in time, but she wasn't worried about those. And as for her heart and soul... well, those were probably damaged beyond repair by now.

"Marina"