They had two days to hunt down enough feathers to full five pillows, which sounded like an awful lot of feathers to the Titan. He wasn’t accustomed to hunting birds, he was heavy and large, and on occasion, slow. He liked to stalk large prey, and bring it down with the weight of his huge form. Something like a bird? That sounded horrifying to him. At least he had Zee to help him, they were both charged with bringing home pillows to their Empress, and where stuck in this together. He tried not to glare at her, for the way she had almost sabotaged their purchase, and the harsh words she had spoken when he had repramended her. Their friendship was a little bit rocky right at that moment. It seemed they where either perfectly comfortable with each other, or at the cusp of violence, there seemed to be no in between. In an effort to defuse the situation, rather then escalate it, he decided to ignore her entirely. As they left Ditch behind, they would spend the rest of their day hunting feathers before returning to the Empire, and likely would spent the day after that doing the same, until they had enough to fill thick, comfortable pillows for Deathbelle. They made their way to the lake, knowing that beautiful white swans, ducks, and other birds liked to enjoy themselves here. He placed the rabbit carcass, intended as a bag to fill their first load into, on the grass. He crept through the grass and made his way towards the lake, still ignoring Zee. He eyed the bird that sat lazily at the edge of the lack, waited for his moment, and then pounced. The bird lifted itself into the air just short of his strike, and he pushed himself further forward, desperate to hook just one claw onto its leg - and failed - he hadn’t realised how far over the edge he had jumped, and landed with a heavy splash into the lake. He sank immediately, because of course right there was a deep spot. The foolish Titan was not a strong swimmer, it was not a skill he had ever had to learn, and his thick coat was immediately waterlogged, dragging him down. He panicked, getting in a breath of water as he began to flail in a terrible mimic of swimming. "Speech"

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."

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His flailing managed to push him to the surface, and he sucked in one breath of air before he went down again. He was going to die alone, in the cold, dark lake. This was the end, after the battles he had fought, after all he had gone through to stay and Deathbelles side, this was how it was going to end. When he pushed his head to the surface again, this time he roared in full blown anger and frustration, not hearing Zee’s words as she laughed and gave him advice. His roar was a mistake, he got no air in this time before he was sucked under, his stupid, thick coat was so heavy, and his uncorordinated legs where less then useless. He starved for breath, panicking as his lungs expanded, desperate for air - and then he had found the surface again. He took in a huge gulp of it this time, no time or energy to spare for further roaring, even if he felt like rendering this entire lake into two. He managed to keep his head above the water a little bit longer this time, and Zee’s words finally registered, through he heard her laughter first, as she found amusement in his slow death. “I’m going to kill you!” he bellowed, before he was sucked down again, the last of his words lost in the water. He surfaced again. Arrrrgh!” his anger was so intense he looked like he was about to pop a vain, but he forced himself to listen to her words, as she told him to calm down, and time his front legs to his back. He had to think about it for a moment, as uncoordinated as a newborn through his fear and anger. She continued to speak, and he listened, until he got his legs under control, and was paddling just enough to bring himself to the surface. He fell against the bank, sides heavily wearily, shaking from exhaustion and fear. He lay like that for a moment, before dragging himself out onto the bank. His mood was black and for a moment he thought he might actually do good on his promise, when he glanced at her, his eyes where wild, like there was no humanity or logic to be seen beneath them, and then he blinked, and the moment was gone. He collapsed on the ground, and closed his eyes, laying there for a moment, contemplating his fear and near death experience, and was quiet for a long time, before he spoke. His words then where very quiet, as through he wished to apologise but wasn’t sure how. “When there is a storm, every time there is a storm, you can seek comfort in my den. In turn, you will teach me to swim.” he really should have phrased it as a question. "Speech"

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."

He kept his eyes closed as she yabbered above him about how she believed he was going to be fine. He had no idea how she was so certain, he felt certain that he had almost been a goner. His ears twitched as she spoke again, this time easily giving her agreement to teaching him. He raised his head slowly, breathing falling into regular patterns now that he had gotten his breath back. He looked to her, she looked so... calm, and happy, despite the terrible anger he had shown her just a moment before. She didn’t.. She didn’t know, did she? Thats was the closest he had ever coming to killing her. He had truly wanted to hurt her. There was something terrible inside of him, didn’t she see that? He flinched at her next words, like they were a physical blow, and flattened his ears to his chest. He raised one portion of his lip past his fangs, a partial, silent growl. “I am a slave” he said softly, for if he was not, then what kept him from throwing away his doubts, and taking Deathbelle as his own? He raised his head further, looking to Zee, for a long moment in silence. “I have always been a slave, Deathbelle… our Imperial Majesty... she is not like her parents.” he growled, frustrated at his inability to find the right words to say. Why did Zee have to bring this up. He looked old as he looked up at Zee, lying as he was, she for once towered over him. “Zee…” he said softly, swallowing emotion he wasn’t certain he understood, or that he wanted to understand. He shook his head, and said no more on it, for she was already bringing up the matter of his coat. “Those wretched birds…” He sighed, pulling himself tiredly to his paws, the fear and excitement, and his currently heavy heart, didn’t leave him with a great deal of energy. He tossed his head into the air, and he howled a command, the only command the slave ever gave. Not too long after, Marshall came winging towards him, landing on his back, and peering at him in curiosity. “I need to collect as many feathers as possible, large, long plumed creatures.” he ordered, the vulture peeped once, and then took to the air. He rose upwards, higher and higher, and then with silent wings, he dive bombed towards the lack, and there was an explosion of feathers as he caught and killed a swan, dragging it through the air with powerful beats of his wings, he dumped it before his master. He took to the air again a moment later, searching for his next target. “There.” Sirius said, sinking back to the ground again. "Speech"

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."

He cracked an eye again and looked to Zee as she lowered herself to the ground, so that they could speak level to level, eye to eye. An interesting change for once, he supposed. He wished she had gone to help Marshall hunt for feathers, but instead she continued to poke at the wound her words had already started. Didn’t she see he didn’t want to change? He could never be more than a slave. It had been too long, he wouldn’t know what to do with freedom if he was given it. He wanted no reason to spend less time ad Bee’s side. He wanted to be with her, but didn’t want her to get ideas, for he could never see himself as worthy. He managed a wry smile as she spoke of explosive strength, for he had almost used exactly that to kill her… on more than one occasion. He raised his head a little higher, meeting her eye to eye as she cut off her words, changing them abruptly, and he tilted his head to her. How exactly did she see him? He stayed in his silence for a while, watching her shuffle as she moved beside him, and she could feel her warmth against his lake-chilled fur. She began to clean him, and the rough, soothing tug of her tongue across her coat was a strange, and unusual experience. He had never received anything like that, he had never let another touch him in this way before. And he and Belle had always kept a polite distance between themselves in respect for their feelings. He let out a soft sigh, and sunk fully to the forest floor again as she worked. “The majority of my identity is wrapped into the experiences I know, I wouldn’t know how to be anything else Zee. How would it destroy my identity to be something I always have?” he asked, the words were spoken aloud, but he wasn’t really certain he was asking her. She reached an itchy spot in his coat, and he let out a grunt instead of a groan, for he wasn’t certain how she would take the other. “How do you see me, Zee?” he asked at last, unable to let the question lie, through he knew he probably should have. "Speech"

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."

She didn’t see, having been born a life far different to his own, where she could choose any path she wished and followed it. He found it so strange that she had chosen this life, put herself into this position. He had a feeling she hadn’t fully known what she was getting herself into when she had done so. For Sirius, the idea of giving up so much of who he was, was… frightening. “I normally know better than to befriend another slave, but I am so accustomed to them being meek, silly things” he said, as she expressed her feelings of the Klein, who he was around them, and the softer side he had shown to her. “Even if I hadn’t been given to the Klein’s, I would have been raised as a creature breed for war.” his parents before him were warriors, after all. “It doesn't start with a wolf being born better, they are not like your first master” he attempted a smirk, for he didn’t like the sadness that had crept into her voice. “It starts with a wolf who decides to take something, fights for it, and grow’s it into something more. Their heirs are raised to this greatness, their mates picked to breed better wolves.” he shrugged, it didn’t really matter to him. She changed the subject at his grunt, and he wasn’t certain how to proceed as she mistook it for pain instead of pleasure. “I’ve never had another groom me before, you… you hit an itchy spot” he said, heat infusing his cheeks. He didn’t even know he could blush. How had Zee put him in this position, he should have ended this immediately and left for his duties with Marshall hunting the feathers. “I don’t want to be the one hurting you Zee, I want to be the one protecting you” oh hell, why had he let that slip it out. He had never been a sentimental fool before. "Speech"

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."

He shook his head, hearing her, but knowing the nature of wolves. “The strong enslave the weak, and the weak flock to the strong, that’s the way of life.” he said, for that was all he had known. He didn’t know of the Alphas in this land who protected those beneath them, and treated them with dignity. She took his words wrong as he admitted his desire to protect her. He didn’t know what it was about Zee that brought out this side of him, perhaps it was because for the first time in his life he had someone to confide in, someone who was not a Klein, Deathbelle, or a slave that feared for their life. Someone that he could respect, without feeling servitute towards. “I think, Zee, that you might be the first friend i’ve ever made in my life.” What he felt for Deathbelle, that mixture of devotion, love, and warship, was something else entirely. Not to mention her comment on protecting her only because Deathbelle desired it, irked him for reasons he couldn’t entirely decipher. His ears went flat as she spoke of one day being the one to maim her, to injure her irreparable. He growled softly at her, showing a hint of teeth. “If that is true, then I fear for that day, Zee, I fear that I do not know what choice I would make, and hope I never have to make it.” would he defy his masters, could he if it was Deathbelle giving the order? "Speech"

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."

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His betters for the most part had no insight into his personal life, of course, that might also be because he was a rock who made no friends and lived very little outside of his duty of serving them. Deathbelle knew some, but he did not find her as easy to speak to as he once had, now that she was Empress. Zee began her grooming across his face, and he sighed softly, leaning into her touch. Was it wrong of him to build a friendship with Zee? Very likely it would cause him pain and heartbreak, and in the end would prove a mistake. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure if he cared about the consequences. She mentioned choice, and he only grunted noncomitally in response. He wasn’t certain what it would mean, to have a choice. He only knew that the thought of truly hurting Zee made him angry to his core. It felt like… like there was injustice in the world. What a foolish, pointless thought for a slave. “I’m sure it’s better then I have ever achieved” he promised her, before casting his own gaze upwards. “Hmm” he said. “We can continue tomorrow, we’ll bring what we have so far and sort them in my den until we are tired enough to slumber” he said, offering her an easy way to slip into his den where she would be safe from her fear of thunderstorms, in case the darkening sky became something more. She was, after all, his friend, and it felt right to offer this to her. He was glad the conversation had moved away from his status as a slave, and of a time when he might have to scar her. He didn’t want to think on things that would roll away the control he held over his anger. "Speech"

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."

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