永程

What was there to not understand, frankly? The only thing that Yong Cheng was unclear about, was why he, of all the wolves in the world, had been chosen to be abducted into some random pack. He was barely useful, had nothing except shoestring knowledge to offer, and was small enough that hunting and fighting was less efficient. Of course, he could learn to be a better healer, but that would take time. Why would someone like Sirius invest that time, and resources, into someone like Yong Cheng?

"yes."

He remained mute for a while. The question dug at him.

"...why me?"

Yong Cheng swallowed, keeping pace with Sirius. He didn't want to give Bast a reason to come any closer than she already was. "A volcano erupted. Food is scarce. Why add to your numbers when there's just another mouth to feed?"

His question evolved into another question, then another, then yet another.

"It doesn't make sense." They were nearing wherever Sirius intended to keep him, now. "Why me? What else do I have to offer?"

As they stepped foot into a new land that Yong Cheng had never been before, a scents flooded his nose. The most prominent was a scent that he was recognising to be his new... leader's? Alpha? Slaver? The next was a female's -- Sirius' wife, he assumed.

"How shall I address you?"

Yong Cheng looked up at Sirirus, who was walking just ahead of him, but still by his side. He felt rather like a child; still a yearling, he'd never imagined that he'd be slaving away for someone else even before he'd reached adulthood. It was rather sobering, but at least he could move about. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad after all... "And who am I to be working for?"

""

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TABLE BY LEE || IMAGE FROM CHUTTERSNAPI ON UNSPLASH

Zee had kept a careful eye upon the borders for the duration of Sirius' exploration and had seen him on his way back in. At his side was a much smaller creature, and while Zee wanted to assume it was a mere wolf it was just different enough to give her pause. Whatever it was, the creature seemed apprehensive and frightened. Her jaw set and the queen let out a barely audible 'tsk' of disapproval, a sigh heaving from her chest before she moved down the borderline to meet them. The creature - a man - was questioning Sirius, and from the tone it appeared that their newest recruit had not been acquired with consent. While she did not approve of Sirius' taking of slaves, the new queen was still just barely insecure enough in her position to outright go against the empire's warlord. In her mind it was still Sirius' pack, created under the crown of Deathbelle and to heed her orders. Deathbelle and the other Klein's took slaves, it was a fact of life in their growing empire. Zee had a feeling that this was simply something she'd need to swallow. "And who am I to be working for?" "That would be me, I assume." She responded as she strode up to meet them, lifting her head to meet her husband's gaze for confirmation. To an outsider she'd likely appear calm and collected, though she knew that the wolf who'd stolen her heart could see the brewing of anger within her eyes. Zee kept her steeled gaze set firm upon Sirius for a few moments longer before directing it back towards the stranger and allowing it to soften. "Who might you be?" The wolf-thing looked young and small, Zee immediately - yet inwardly - disapproved. "Speech"

His newest recruit kept pace, and the warlord, accustomed to shorter wolves, kept his stride an easy one to follow. 'Why me' he asked, as theough he still could not believe this twist of fate. "Because you are a healer, a commodity my budding pack will make use of. Because you are strange, and unique. Because you faced your fears without a second thought." He thought of the way the man had turned to Bast, despite how she seemed to make him uneasy. "And because, when you realised there was no recourse, you accepted your fate wisely."
"You will address me as Warlord, or Sirius. You will be apprenticed to my healer, Io. You will not tell her that you were coerced to become a slave. Only that you have been accepted into the lowest rank of the pack, and look forward to working your way higher." Here he stopped, turning his dark eyes to the man, looking down upon him like prey. His lip curled around his elongated fangs, just a touch. It was a threat, and a blatant one at that.

He raised his head to howl for Zee, but she had found them before he could call. She caught the tale end of Birds last question, but not his threat. Bast would have warned them if that had been over heard. He turned fully towards her as she approached, standing almost at attention as she did so.

The Warlord gave a stern bow to the willowy dame as she came to a stop. She walked with delicate grace, and one might first see the softly twisting Kudu horns that stemmed from the space between her ears like bursting flowers. Blue laced about her eye like sneaking vines, and highlighted the exquisite tones of her angry eyes. She was, beyond a doubt, the most beautiful woman that the Warlord had ever laid his eyes upon. "My Queen." He said, lips twitching into a partial smile. He hoped Zee didnt immediately reach the conclusion that this man was slave. After all, he had been making efforts to go out, and bring home new members. What was to say this was any different?

永程

He wasn't really hearing Sirius anymore. Words flowed in and out of his ears and he barely managed to catch anything. Only little snippets that, he supposed, did still answer his questions. Mostly, the boy was finding everything to be too fantastical to be true. Perhaps his questions had been an attempt to get Sirius to see sense and release him; perhaps they had been an attempt to reconcile Yong Cheng with the idea of servitude.

"... a healer... budding pack... unique... faced your fears without a second thought"

That, he found, was odd. Did Sirius respect fearlessness? The willingness to stand up under duress? Yong Cheng wished he'd never met Sirius in the first place. He hid his bitterness, though, facial muscles relaxed and placid. So much for being cunning; he was still a captive. But, Sirius' respect seemingly could be won. Perhaps likewise, he could win his freedom too.

"You will not tell her that you were coerced to become a slave. Only that you have been accepted into the lowest rank of the pack, and look forward to working your way higher."

He had never been a pack wolf, but instinct dictated that Yong Cheng flatten his dark ears against his skull, leaning away from Sirius' teeth.

The feminine smell he'd caught earlier drifted over now, growing stronger as who he supposed to be said wolf approached. "That would be me, I assume."

He looked to Sirius for confirmation, eyes questioning what he didn't say out loud. Was he supposed to wait hand and foot on this wolf, Sirius' wife, while being apprenticed to his healer? Or did he split his time between the two? What exactly was he role to be?

She was taller than him, but still smaller than the Warlord. His Warlord. Elegant horns spiralled upwards from her skull; Yong Cheng was transfixed. He had never seen a wolf with odd colours before, much less one with horns. And here this one had both! He didn't find her particularly beautiful, but she was certainly different. Yong Cheng found it surprising that Sirius would call him unique; after all, here was a wolf who was strange in more ways than one!

"Who might you be?"

Again, Yong Cheng looked at Sirius, then back to the female, recalling the Warlord's earlier words. Did he respond? Was he allowed to respond? Was Sirius going to introduce him to this other wolf, or was he expected to treat the question as an order and answer it himself? He didn't know what was an appropriate way to address a wolf of higher rank than he, so he settled on following Sirius' way of greeting. Sirius was the highest-ranked in the pack; surely, it was the safest.

"Bird, my queen."

Uncertain as he was, Yong Cheng's voice was steady and smooth, if a little serious. His tongue was his only weapon; it was that which he was most comfortable using. Therefore, all through his internal turmoil, he kept a small warmth in his tone, and the words rolled easily off his lips.

""

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TABLE BY LEE || IMAGE FROM CHUTTERSNAPI ON UNSPLASH

Zee listened quietly as the young one looked back from her to the warlord, his eventual response coming across more confident then he appeared. She set her jaw firmly, gaze moving sidelong to continue to scrutinize her husband. "Welcome home, my love." She offered him, though there was a mild accusation in her voice. There was something about this creature, some unmistakable fear and uncertainty in the way he held himself and his scent. However it was difficult to say for sure whether her suspicions were correct, and looking over at the warlord's half-grin it was hard to accuse him without all the information. "Bird." She repeated finally, her voice soft. What sort of parent named their pup after such a inferior creature? He was definitely small and thin not unlike a fledgling. Why would he want to join a pack made up of almost entirely warriors? There was more to it, Zee was certain. "Do you often wish you could fly free, Bird?" Her eyes shifted back to meet the young man's, a question within them. Whether or not the wolf would speak honestly about his potential kidnapping she was not quite sure. Zee herself had her fair share of slavery and knew how intimidating the warlord could be. While at the same time, Sirius was very aware how his wife felt when he used his strength to claim another wolf. "Speech"

His recruit seemed wracked with nerves, but despite them was holding steady. Sirius ignored the urge to slap him on the back and tell him he would be okay. He had a feeling the gesture wouldn’t be appreciated. Alas, the slave would learn to appreciate the Armada, and find beauty within it. Speaking of beauty… “My love” he returned, leaning forward to kiss her against the blue circle that graced her eye. He felt like she showed at least a little teeth as he made the gesture, but he ignored it. “Bird here has agreed to join the Armada, he’s a healer, so I figure him and Io can learn from each other, and he can help Io build her garden.” he explained. Perhaps he was stretching the truth by calling it agreement.

Trusting Bird to swim and not drown in the current he was thrown in, Sirius moved away from Bird to stand beside Zee, and lean towards her. “It might also be good to have another healer around to help with kids.” he explained. A slightly touche subject between the two. Especially since once their kids had been promised to Deathbelle as slaves, and now, should they have them, they would be free.

"I have always been free," Yong Cheng replied, shrugging. He concealed the knowledge that Sirius would likely teach him a lesson if he confessed, instead smiling up at the Warlorr's wife. He nodded, looking for all the world as if in agreement with Sirius. "It was of my own volition that I came."

He wasn't exactly lying. He had been inbetween a rock and teeth, and chosen the rock, because the rock would not purposely hurt him -- but teeth would.

"How may I be.of service, besides in a healer's capacity?"

Children, he mused. How interesting. Children meant that there would be much to do once they came; tiny things to look after, mouths to feed and clean and keep alive. It hardly seemed a good time to be bringing up young.

Children. How very, very interesting.

A healer, interesting. It certainly explained the young thing's tiny size and stature. And he showed no signs of being coerced, though Zee remained partially skeptical. "I see." She responded, trying to shake off Sirius' dozenth hint at children. "I'm going to get grey hairs. The stress of the warlord's unwllingness to let go was almost too much. "Surely Sirius explained to you what we do here, and you're aware that even as a healer you will be required to learn to defend yourself?" Her brows raised questioningly as she prodded further, determined to comfort herself further that this wolf knew what he was getting himself into. "You're small, how old are you? Are you sure you have what it takes? Can you fight?" The queen lowered herself into a seated position as she continued the questioning, her tail wrapping securely around her paws. "Speech"

She gave no reply to his comment of kids, and he hid his doubts. Io did not believe hi to be infertile, but he was yet to have this talk with Zee. What if she refused to broach the subject because SHE believed the Warlord incapable of seeding children? He shook off the worries, thoughts for another time. Zee began to interrogate Bird on his wants and abilities, and Sirius bit back a quiet short. He was clearly more at ease now that he had crossed into the terratory of his home. His serious, threatening attitude had given way to warmth.

"I'll fetch him to asses the starting points in his training later" Sirius said, he cast a glance to Bird, and then to Marshal, and Bast, both of which lingered near the conversing wolves. "I'll leave him in your capable hands Zee, if you want to finish your interrogation and decide what you want from him in the Armada" he hoped his lady set the man to work. He rather enjoyed seeing her take charge, and was happy to leave her to sort out this man herself. Let her see that he trusted her judgment. The ears of his companions were not for her, but a reminder to Bird to behave. "If you have no further use of me..." he said, prepared to leave the two alone.

永程

"Surely Sirius explained to you what we do here, and you're aware that even as a healer you will be required to learn to defend yourself?"

Okay, okay. What?

Well... Yong Cheng wanted to say, He dragged me here and I followed because I really like being alive. Usually I just run away.  But of course, he didn't say that, because Sirius was still within view -- and therefore still within earshot. Instead, he tilted his head at the queen and shifted his paws, as if to say "Well, no, but I thought as much."

He was sure that fighting would be a challenge. He was small, like everyone pointed out, but to make matters worse, he was light and flighty, too. He was mostly skin and bone under his thick, fine coat, and he had avoided any sort of sparring if possible.

Bast the cat and Sirius' vulture remained where they were, and now that Sirius was about to leave, Yong Cheng found some of himself returning. He schooled his face into as respectful an expression as he could form; but inside, he wanted nothing more than to be alone. No, he wouldn't try to escape; he had more honour than that. But he didn't need to be threatened every five minutes either.

"My queen," Yong Cheng began, still using the form of address Sirius had, "I turned a year old in Spring. I think."

He paused, fiddling with the earth underfoot.

"I... I can run. I can stay alive. Does that count?"

speech
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He was a very polite young man, and the more he spoke the more confident he sounded. Her doubts about Sirius unwilling claim over the wolf were fading, and she nodded briskly as he responded with his age and experience. "Unfortunately, it does not count. Whatever your chosen skill set you'll need to be able to defend yourself at least at a basic level. While you can run, there will always be someone faster then you." She looked over his body once more, squinting slightly in confusion. He wasn't a wolf, was he? Perhaps he was a faster creature then the others who lived in this land. Though it wasn't polite to ask someone their species either, now was it? "Fortunately you're young, still able to be trained. We'll start you on the basics and see where you go from there. A healer isn't just needed at home, we may need you to accompany us into battle to help our warriors there. I need you to be confident enough to go in and bring a downed wolf out of the fray for treatment, and you can't do that if you cannot defend yourself on a basic level." Zee sighed softly, realizing how much work the pack would need to get into fighting shape. They had hardly any trained soldiers and their numbers were still few. Maybe they were in over their heads, how could they be considered worthy of Ashen's name when they were all so weak? "Speech"

永程

"While you can run, there will always be someone faster than you."

Faster than you. Faster than you. The words resounded in his head, knocking around his skull. Wasn't that exactly how he had been caught? Cheng's paws stilled. Heat burned in his lime-green eyes, a stinging, prickling heat. Gods, he was stupid. But he had to keep a straight face, keep a stoic expression, and hope to whatever higher powers existed that nobody would notice his ruse.

He turned his head groundwards, unwilling to let the queen see his eyes moisten. Yong Cheng tried to blink whenever he thought she wasn't looking, subtly blinking away the water that had started to gather at his lower eyelids. He wanted to run. He wanted to scream. He wanted to put on a mask and dance away the frustration that welled up inside him, looking for all the world like he was a happy wolf in a happy pack, doing things that happy people did.

But he wasn't.

"I'm very fast." He whispered, mostly for his own ears to hear. Maybe he was trying to reassure himself that he could have made it. Maybe he was trying to convince the queen that he was as speedy as he looked. His voice nearly thickened, and Yong Cheng spoke no more.

Thankfully, his alpha carried on talking, and Yong Cheng schooled his voice into a buoyant, enthusiastic tone.

"I can do that," he said, looking up. "When do I begin? And how may I address you?"

""
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IMAGE BY ANTHONY CANTIN ON UNSPLASH

There it was again, that faint scent of worry, the head lowered in fear. Something about this wolf struck her as wrong on so many levels, but she couldn't place it with confidence. She clicked her tongue in an audible 'tsk' as she thought, uncertain. "Good. You may call me Zee." The queen offered, still not comfortable with fancy titles. "We'll start with getting you to our strongest healer for a physical assessment. Do you have anything you need to disclose up front?" She eyed him curiously, wondering if his subtle mood changes were the result of something wrong with him mentally. How could you be so confident one moment, then cowed the next? "You can feel comfortable speaking with me, Bird. I don't share everything with my husband." With that, she waited for the last chance he'd have privately to admit to her if something was wrong. Afterwards, they'd be off to see Iolaire and likely the yearling would feel as intimidated by the warlord's beloved sister as he was with Sirius himself. "Speech"

永程

"Zee." Yong Cheng murmured, rolling the syllable over and over on his tongue long after the sound was gone. Zee. It was... short. He suspected that he wasn't getting everything, but then again, Bird was short, too. He pronounced Zeitgeist's name with a slightly accent. It would be immediately noticeable to the queen that his mouth wasn't used to saying the 'zzz' sound in such a way.

"I'm not a wolf," Yong Cheng said, giving Zee a very wolfish grin. His voice was strong now, as strong as it had been before. There was no room for lapses; he'd nearly slipped just now, and he couldn't have it happening again. "And I got nothing else."

He shrugged at Zee, but his eyes revealed the turmoil within them. His tail flicked in the general direction of Sirius' companions, disguised as a casual sweep. On one hand, he wanted to confess everything to his new queen; on the other, he needed to show Sirius he could be trusted. But how? How?

"I'll keep that in consideration."

The creases at his eyes' edges grew a little tighter, but his smile remained.

""
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IMAGE BY ANTHONY CANTIN ON UNSPLASH

Ah, and there it was. The creature was not a wolf, and was forthcoming with it. Zee's curiosity piqued, and her head tilted to regard him. Before she could ask upon his species, she caught the swish of his tail in the direction of Bast and Marshall. The horned queen's eyes grew cold, and she gazed off in the direction of Sirius' partners. Bast would obey her, this much she knew. She could ask the cat whom she helped raise to leave and know that her ears would no longer be in Sirius' service. However Marshall was loyal to Sirius alone, raised from an egg and unwavering. Zee's lips tightened, and then she turned back to the wolfish man with a small subtle sigh. She'd have to dig into this later on, for now it would cause more trouble to the boy and only feed his fear to interrogate him infront of the vulture. "What are you?" She asked finally, trying to pull her attention off the black bird in the trees.

永程

"What are you?"

Ah, Sirius had asked that exact question too. But given that nothing had changed since then, Yong Cheng still didn't know what exactly he was. All he knew was that he was not a wolf, who looked like a wolf, but not quite. "I dunno," he shrugged, tilting his head at the queen. If she was asking, she didn't know either. Maybe he had to find someone who was more knowledgeable than he.

"Who," he said, deciding to change the subject, "is Iolaire? Maybe she might know?"

He felt like he was butchering the name, but he didn't pause to correct himself. Iolaire was a name that both Zee and Sirius had spoken relatively quickly; he supposed he would just have to pick it up himself.

""
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Zee was quite confused by his admittance, though why would he lie about not knowing his own species? None of it made sense. He deflected, asking after Iolaire instead. "Perhaps if you don't know, you really are just a wolf." She mused, thinking of Lucretia and Bourbon's coming wolf-dog children and whether they'd be considered equals within Ashen's empire. Would this wolfish boy be looked down upon by his packmates, too? Her tongue clicked once more in disappointment at the thought, though she continued. "Iolaire is Sirius' sister, and our armada's ambassador and strongest healer. The pair of them are very close." Subtly she stressed the latter part of her sentence, hoping the yearling would realize that his words spoken to her might also return to the brute regardless of if his companions were present. She still wasn't sure entirely what Sirius' plan with this boy was, though the more she spoke to him the more she yearned to question her impulsive husband on his choice in 'recruit.' "Speech"

永程

"Maybe," Yong Cheng agreed. Maybe he really was just a wolf -- albeit a leggy, lanky, outrageously proportioned one. Sirius didn't seem to think so, though, and maybe when more time had passed, Yong Cheng might ask Sirius again about what he thought. Cheng certainly felt like a wolf in mind, but even he had noticed their various subtle differences. Wolves, for example, had smaller ears. They were more muscular; he was skin and lean meat and bones.

Cheng shrugged the question away.

"...the pair of them are very close."

Was this a warning? Did the queen so often hint to her subordinates like this? Zee was turning out to be a very interesting wolf. Soft-hearted, perhaps. Yong Cheng was already liking her. She seemed a reasonable, matronly thing.

"Sirius says I am to be apprenticed to her, for healing." There was no harm in revealing this information to Zee. She was his alpha; she was going to know his job, one way or another. He might as well just tell her. "What is she like?"


""
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He didn't seem to agree necessarily with her assessment, and while Zee herself didn't think him to be a normal wolf she did think it would be the easiest path in life for him. In Ashen's empire lesser wolves were not often treated with respect, and while the former-slave Zee had a soft spot in her heart for those who might be looked down upon as weaker, she knew there was nothing she could do to force others to respect him if they deemed him worse for his species. He continued in explaining Sirius' plan for him in the armada - or perhaps a watered down version of it - and Zee wasn't sure how to feel. For one, Iolaire was a marvelous healer and a good friend. She trusted the she-wolf, and knew that Bird would be lucky to apprentice beneath her. Although a part of her wondered if this meant Iolaire was in on whatever had happened to bring the boy to them. She didn't seem to be the pro-slavery type, but then again she was very close to Sirius. "Loyal. Confident. Not unlike the warlord himself." Her eventual reply came, though her tone was hesitant. Even as a warning, she could not bring herself to say a less-then-positive word about her sister-in-law. "You should think of her much like you think of Sirius. While she is not a fighter, she is as strong a spirit as he is if not more so. It would be in your best interests not to push her." Hopefully it was a clear enough comparison - though the healer was small and not a warrior, she was every bit as dangerous as the direwolf that had chosen her to be his. "Speech"

永程

"She sounds like a good wolf." It was true. Loyalty and confidence were values that made a wolf a wolf, and Yong Cheng found that he had a little admiration for her. Of course, he'd have to actually meet her to know what she was like, but she sounded... well. She sounded like she was a good pack member, at least.

Yong Cheng wondered if all of Sirius' wolves were loyal to him. How did he command them? Had he stolen them, too? Or had they willingly followed him?

He wondered if this blind pursuit was any good. Pack life provided security, and protection, but Yong Cheng felt no loyalty, no like, and certainly no respect towards the invisible faces of the pack. Only until he met them, would they be of concern to him. And all the politics!

"I am sure we will get along," Yong Cheng replied. He understood the queen. He had to. If he didn't, the consequences would follow. And given how close they were, upsetting Iolaire would be tantamount to upsetting Sirius himself. That, for him, spelt disaster. "She sounds like a wolf of excellent character --" he was bullshitting, but bullshitting believably "-- I should very much like to meet her. How shall I address her?"

Presently, he paused, thinking upon Sirius' words.

"...Is she your only healer?"

This was good to know.

""
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