Let's Get To Know Each Other

For bring a slave to the little striped alpha of Obscura, things had been pretty cushy for the massive ancient dire brute. His body had healed quickly from his wounds, a combination of his strong genes and Scylla's attentive care. She'd kept him like a pet in her den while she nursed him back to health, but to be honest, he hadn't minded in the least. Having a pretty little thing like her playing nurse was an enticing position to find himself in. So he'd grumbled through the worst of the pain and played the part of obedient pet until the stitches came out and he'd regained full mobility in his form. For all his begrudging in the beginning, Scylla had proven herself a worthy and talented surgeon, and he'd been intrigued with her methods of running her pack. The prisoner still kept in the pit was an excellent example of her duality that he quite enjoyed observing.

On a hot summer day, Scylla summoned him out for a little trip to their newly claimed territory to the south. The grove of mangrove trees and deltas was close enough to the sea that a pleasant cool coastal breeze was racing through the trees, rippling through his thick arctic fur. It felt glorious. Giant paws trudged behind her, crushing the small tracks she left in her wake with his own massive strides. Scylla asked how he was enjoying Obscura and Nero responded with a pensive rumble. "It's unique; unlike any other pack I've seen," he answered honestly, then added with a sardonic chuckle, "Can't say I've ever known a pack to decorate its borders with fantastical creatures." He was, of course, referring to Scylla's taxidermy projects that lined the borders; mutant freaks designed by her paw and macabre imagination.

Prowling easily across the gnarled roots as if they were little more than sticks beneath his massive girth, Nero followed Scylla, taking in his surroundings in this new environment. "Thank you for saving my life," he said after a moment, sincerity in his husky voice. It was the first time he'd truly thanked her out loud. He didn't like feeling weak or like he had to depend on another to survive, but he was not fool enough to deny that he would have perished if not for Scylla's divine intervention.

"Scylla & Nero"