Small error of judgment
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
age
11 Years
11 Years
gender
Male
Male
gems
51
51
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
07-13-2019, 07:16 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-13-2019, 07:33 PM by Sirius.)
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07-13-2019, 07:41 PM
Zee was terribly and horribly sullen as they stalked away from the craftswoman. Sirius had been an absolute dick to her, treating her like dirt in front of a total stranger. What was the big deal? It wasn't like she was disrespecting their masters. The woman was no Klein. They walked all the way back into the depths of the territory and Sirius had still not said a word. That's fine - Zee could do the silent treatment too. Her brows were permanently furrowed in a scowl and occasionally her expression would grow even further grumpy when she'd remember exactly how many feathers they needed to gather. They'd be stuck together forever. Ugh. As they approached the lake the brute got immediately to business, crouching low into the dirt to sneak towards a large bird. Zee raised one eyebrow incredulously, wondering how exactly the wolf that could pass for a bear would hide himself from the avian creature. Slowly her rump lowered to sit upon the earth as she watched with quiet amusement. He pounced - a swing and a miss - and disappeared for a moment beneath the water's surface. It didn't take long before he resurfaced, flailing wildly. Zee's face softened into a smile and she couldn't help but laugh softly at his efforts. "Oh, man." She giggled. "You're hopeless." She trod forward to the bank, peering down at him with amusement she couldn't even begin to conceal. "Sirius, it's like running. Just.. no - stop flailing." She coached, lowering her head so that she could bring her paw up to hide her eyes for a moment as her gentle laughter tried to come back. "OK, your legs need to go the same direction or you're not going to go anywhere. What are you - Oh jeeze." Zee took a deep breath to hopefully stifle the endless giggles. She didn't want to shame him for his ineptitude, and if he was in any real danger she'd not be able to find the situation so amusing. "I can't come help you, you know. First rule of swimming is to stay away from panicked, flailing legs. Just, just move your legs like you're running and push yourself back to shore." "Speech" "Thinking" "You." |
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
age
11 Years
11 Years
gender
Male
Male
gems
51
51
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
07-13-2019, 07:51 PM
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07-13-2019, 10:01 PM
Zee's amusement changed as he struggled harder, promising to kill her for daring to laugh. She still wore her crooked grin, watching quietly as he managed to follow her instructions to drag himself onto the bank. "I knew you could do it." She said gently, giving him a fond smile of encouragement. "If I thought for a moment that you'd drown, I'd have jumped in and risked it." A chuckle, and then she pranced over to him - her foul mood nowhere to be found. "Of course I will teach you." He panted below her, fur heavy with water and his chest heaving. She thought back to how tenderly he managed her own fears, and felt her chest tighten at the memory. "You know," She began carefully, laying down beside him yet far enough from the puddle to stay dry. "You didn't give me the whole story when we met. You're no slave." She gave him a moment to absorb it before continuing. "In fact, you're higher ranking then most of the Klein's here." Her paw poked at the mud that was starting to form between them, her head tilting as she considered the best way to put her words. "Therefore I insist you allow me to help fix your -" Mud tipped paw lifted to gesture at his entirety. "-well, all that. Our Empress thinks I'm quite talented at it, and you wouldn't want to be in her presence looking so disheveled." She was babbling quite a bit, trying desperately to interject as much reason into her words as was possible. Maybe if he knew that Deathbelle allowed her to groom her royal fur, that he might not be so opposed to the idea. Besides, a wolf so large and bulky would surely struggle to reach the important areas. "After we catch some birds, of course." She added hurriedly. "Who knows, you might fall in again." "Speech" "Thinking" "You." |
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
age
11 Years
11 Years
gender
Male
Male
gems
51
51
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
07-13-2019, 11:41 PM
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07-15-2019, 12:35 AM
His companion took off in search of a bird, and she no longer had any excuse to put off her offer. If he could have done that in the first place then why not simply send the bird hunting? Pride, she assumed. She shook off the thought. Sirius looked so sullen and depressed, and the little wolf struggled to keep her expression somewhat cheerful for his benefit. It wasn't until he began to speak of his status in Ashen that Zee realized the gravity of exactly what he was saying. This was difficult for him, that much was obvious. He truly struggled so hard with the words and Zee's smile slowly fell from her face as his gaze met hers. Zee stepped towards him carefully as he slunk back down onto the ground, her upper body lowering in nearly the same way she bowed to the empress - only this time it was to bring herself to his level when she was to speak. "Sirius, she obviously sees something in you." She told him gently. "Our Empress treats you as a trusted friend and companion, not as her servant. There is this, this.. explosive strength inside of you. It cannot be contained or owned, and I guarantee that Deathbelle can see it as clearly as I can." Emotion welled within her as she spoke, and the small wolf tried desperately to reel it in as to not flood too heavily into her words. She wanted more then anything for him to see his worth and to stop thinking himself as a lesser being. "If you could see yourself the way that I -" Zee cut herself off sharply, hastily recovering. "- The way that Deathbelle sees you. You'd know that you're more to her and to this pack then mere property. If you keep identifying yourself as owned, it will destroy what makes you great." Her head tilted as she spoke, looking into his piercing stare for any small expression of comprehension and understanding. With a heavy sigh her lecture was over, and she forced herself to give him a small sad smile. "Anyways, I uh, yeah. Let me just-" She moved away from his face to sit perpendicular to him, lowering her head to gently groom his shoulder up and up towards his spine. Her face was hot and flushed, feeling her embarrassment work it's way from her tight chest to spread along her entire body with unrelenting speed. "Oh please oh please let him forgive me." "Speech" "Thinking" "You." |
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
age
11 Years
11 Years
gender
Male
Male
gems
51
51
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
07-15-2019, 01:02 AM
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07-15-2019, 01:27 AM
Zee grumbled as he gave his response, difficult as always. She didn't fully expect him to have some grand realization, but it would have been nice. "Your identity is what you choose it to be, I suppose." She remarked off-offhandedly while she groomed him. "But you could be so much more - and you are, sometimes. When you're not around.. them." She felt badly for grouping Deathbelle in with the Klein's, but it wasn't a lie. "I just don't want to see the warm, soft side of you devoured by your robotic guard side." She let her voice stay light and aloof, as to not betray how devastating for her the thought actually may be. "I see you as.. more, I don't know." Her ears fell back as she struggled, glad he could not see her face. "Doesn't it bother you to have been punished for acting or thinking or speaking as a wolf is born to?" No, she decided immediately that it likely didn't bother him at all. Different tactic. "Or rather... does it bother you to punish someone like, well, me?" Her tone became very quiet with insecurity near the end, and she stole a glance at his face before continuing onto her coat. "Why are some wolves just born better? It isn't fair." Zee remembered the times she'd been treated in ways that felt unfair and how powerless she was to fight back against them. She especially hated how it was Sirius to be the one to try to break her. A soft whimper threatened to escape her lips, and she swallowed it down. He grunted, and her ears perked up with alarm. "I'm sorry - did that hurt?" Blackened nose pushed against the spot she had groomed, nudging the fur aside to see if there was an injury hiding beneath. "You need to take better care of yourself, grooming fur should absolutely not bother any wounds that aren't fresh. Do you need to see the doctor?" Voice was thick with worry as she searched within his black coat for any hint of blood. "Speech" "Thinking" "You." |
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
age
11 Years
11 Years
gender
Male
Male
gems
51
51
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
07-15-2019, 01:45 AM
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07-15-2019, 02:07 AM
There was that word again - slave - he'd used it to describe her so many times, and yet each time it still stung. It was worse coming from him, as for whatever reason Zee hated that it was how Sirius saw her. She couldn't blame him for it though, it was simply what she was. "But that does not explain anything." She complained with frustration. "Why can't they just be happy being better? Why do they have to make everyone else worse?" Her passion faded as he sheepishly explained his grunt away, but her sadness remained. He'd never been groomed before? She pitied him for missing out on an experience that could give him such a connection with another. Did his parents not do this for him as he was growing? His masters? It was a depressing thought to imagine little Sirius as a youth, dirtied from combat training and left to his own devices to clean his oversized frame. She would have commented further on it, but then he continued and her heart squeezed painfully. His words came across as sincere and heartfelt, but Zee dismissed it as her own silly interpretation. "I know," She continued for him flatly. "You're a guard, and it's your job as well to make sure that the Empress' property stays intact for as long as she wills it so." A quiet sigh escaped her lips, and she masked it with a thoughtful 'mmmm.' "I expect one day she'll want otherwise of me. I only hope I do not bring upon myself any punishment that might harm my coat. I've heard of masters taking their slave's tails or ears and such for disobedience.. or because they get bored. I couldn't imagine. Though, I suppose at least I have the knowledge that it'd be done by your fangs and not hers. You'd at least be skillful enough to make it a clean cut." "Speech" "Thinking" "You." |
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
age
11 Years
11 Years
gender
Male
Male
gems
51
51
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
07-15-2019, 04:16 AM
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07-15-2019, 05:02 AM
A smile touched Zee's face as he spoke of her being his only friend, and she stepped back from grooming his side to display it to him warmly. "Thank you. I hope that our betters do not think less of you for befriending a slave, but I think I enjoy you enough to risk it. I hope I will be a good friend to you." She moved in to sit closer to his head, leaning down to groom the top of his skull and behind his ears. She felt the vibrations of his growl upon him as she worked, and for once was not scared by the expression. It didn't feel like it was directed at her, although she couldn't think of any other reason he might be angry except when she did wrong. "Perhaps if you truly feel like you have a choice, then you still might be able to be saved. As your first friend, I'll make it my life's work to it." Her voice was firm and serious, though it ended with a quiet chuckle as she considered all the ways she might need to act out to force him to come out of his obedient robotic shell. It didn't take long to ensure the fur upon his handsome face was cleaned, and once she was done she stepped back to admire her work - gaze softening fondly as she looked upon him. "Mmm, it's not my best work." Her eyes trailed away to the darkening sky above. "It is getting late, however. I fear it might rain, we should maybe get home." She did not want to think that the cluster of clouds overhead might contain more then just water, and shuddered slightly. Though he had offered her his den in case of storms, she still felt silly to ever need to use it. If she could make it back to hers with enough time to spare, she hoped she could fall into a deep enough slumber quick enough to not notice any storms. "Will your companion need help with the feathers, or should we continue tomorrow?" "Speech" "Thinking" "You." |
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
age
11 Years
11 Years
gender
Male
Male
gems
51
51
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
07-15-2019, 05:13 AM
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07-15-2019, 03:06 PM
Zee half-turned in the direction of his den at the invitation. "Are you sure? No offense, but while your den is the perfect size for me, it seems like it doesn't fit you well. I don't want to take up valuable space inside that you may need." The last time that she had fallen asleep in his home they were side by side. It was comforting and warm, but she couldn't help but worry that the titan might need more space to sleep in. "Maybe you should think about expanding it." She moved away from him then and towards the growing pile of dead birds. Unsure, she looked between the corpses and the small sack meant to collect the feathers. Why couldn't his companion also strip them? It seemed like such a convenient familiar to have. She took a moment to wish that she might be afforded the privilege of a pet, but shook it off soon after. Slaves shouldn't own property. She sidestepped around the birds to make it to the hide, grabbing it gently. Hopefully with the help of Sirius they could make it back with enough time to pluck and sort the feathers to get a decent sleep in. "Speech" "Thinking" "You." |