An uncomfortable uneasiness settled over him as he approached the camp he had been told about by his half-sister Siren. Ashen had long had servants and slaves as part of their ranks and while he didn't necessarily disagree with the practice, it wasn't something he had thought that he would ever participate in. However, with his marriage to Void complete, his mind naturally began to think toward the future. His sister's words had stuck with him from their first conversation about the obligation their family had to continue their line and his doubts that he would ever be able to fulfill that obligation. The suggestion of a slave as a surrogate seemed like the most logical and reasonable answer and since Siren and Chimera were currently the only ones among them who kept a servant he went to Siren to ask how they found the women and this was her answer.

He wore his armor and carried his dagger just in case, though he ordered Viridis and Procella to stay home while he completed this task. He didn't want to risk one of these slavers trying to bargain his companions into their deal. He wore a satchel containing several valuables that he intended to use in his negotiations, keeping them hidden for now. As he approached the camp a few wolves milling about looked up at him, but didn't approach, though one of them did walk off after they looked at him to go into one of the near by cave entrances. He waited for a long moment until a large man, gray and white in coloring, appeared from the cave, clearly fetched by the other wolf. The scarred man approached him with a cold, calculating stare that didn't do anything to ease his discomfort.

"What are you here for?" came a gruff question from the other man. Plague held himself with the clear strength and skill that he knew he carried, though his emerald gaze might have given away the dislike he had for a man in this sort of profession. "I'm here to purchase a slave - female." Even just saying the words didn't sit right with him, but he knew he had to walk the walk if he was going to be taken seriously here. The slaver gave a "hmph" before turning and leading him into the cave he had just walked out of, Plague following behind him with a bit of reluctance.

When he walked into the shadowed cave system, he blinked his eyes a couple of times to adjust to the change in light. Once he could see more clearly he saw the hunched figures of wolves tied down to stakes or to the walls, with a few barred cells along one side of the cave. "Most of the females are in here. Take a look, find one you want. Then we'll talk price." With that, the brute walked away, looming just outside of the cave and leaving Plague to his own devices. The Abraxas-Destruction scanned the grim scene ahead of him, his expression darkening. He couldn't help but wonder if this was a mistake, if he should have just allowed himself to ask Siren if she'd be willing to let her slave be their surrogate, but now that he was here he had no choice but to try and follow through.

He walked forward carefully, glancing to some of the women tied up around him as he passed. There were some larger or smaller, most of them thin, no rhyme or reason to the coloring the salvers seemed to favor. For the most part they were all much smaller than himself, though he supposed that didn't really surprise him. With a sickening realization he noted that the smaller they were the easier it was to overpower them. Some glanced up at him as he passed, some kept their gazes fixed on the floor. Some seemed more calm and accepting of their fates than others, some looked like they had been sitting here longer than others. He honestly didn't know what he should be looking for and the longer he was here the more sick he felt over it. He wanted to free them all, but he knew he couldn't single handedly overpower the men outside on his own and his valuables wouldn't be enough to purchase them all.

As he passed a couple of cells, he noticed a small woman with dazzling red markings that decorated her dark pelt and it was enough to make him pause. She was small, but that was a common theme among these women. Her coat made him think of his star-marked man if Void had been born with color to his fur instead of the monochrome night sky captured in his pelt. It was like Void was the night sky and this woman was the galaxy that lied beyond that. He tried to catch her gaze, his kind emerald eyes looking for hers. He hadn't known how he would know which woman he would want to bargain for, but when he saw her he had a feeling in his gut that she was the one.

"Sir!" he called as he looked back toward the gray and white, scarred man, nodding his head for him to come back into the cave. The slaver obliged, walking over to him and glancing at the slave that he had chosen. He scoffed softly and slid a hard stare toward Plague. "You're from that same pack as that prissy woman with the dappled slave, aren't you? Damn you pack wolves and your expensive tastes." He sighed and eyed Plague curiously. "Fine. What do you have?"

Plague reached into his bag, pulling dagger from his bag. Not as large or as ornate as his own, but a decent weapon none of the less that he had found in his travels. He sat the knife in front of the man along with a roll of tanned leather big enough that it could be used to make a piece of armor. "A couple of useful items, perhaps?" he offered, judging the slaver's reaction. The brute turned the knife over with a low hum and unrolled the leather to inspect it. He glanced up at the pale man in front of him, eyeing the extravagance of his armor and weapon. "Surely a man like you has more to offer than this? You're asking me to sell one of my most beautiful slaves - I'll need more than this."

Plague frowned and eyed him for a moment before reaching back into his bag and pulling out a pair of golden bangles that had blue sapphires around their perimeter. "Final offer." The slaver examined the pieces of jewelry for a few moments, lifting one up to a bit of light streaming into the cave to see the light catch on the facetted gems. His expression was carefully maintained with no emotion or interest showing in his gaze. "Hmm... No, I don't think this is enough for this girl." He started to push the items back toward Plague, but Plague's jaw tensed and he pushed them back toward the slaver. "Fine. One more thing." He didn't want to have to use most of the valuables that he brought with him, but he knew that this was who he wanted. He could feel it in his soul the same way he had known almost immediately that Void would be his.

He pulled out a necklace made of a substantial golden chain with an emerald pendant - a wedding gift from the giant dire wolf women that he had been trading with frequently over the last couple of seasons. It was a piece that he didn't want to give up, but he was eager to rescue this woman from this place. "That's my final offer. I believe that's more than fair." He drew a line, eyeing the slaver as he seemed to consider the valuables in front of him. Without much of an answer, the man picked up the jewelry, leather, and knife, tucking them away in a bag of his own before unlocking the cell and swinging the door open. "Come on, girl. This is your new owner." With that he walked away, his business here done and unwilling to give the man any more of his time - which was fine by Plague.

He turned his emerald eyes to the black and red marked woman, feeling a bit at a loss for what he should do now that he had purchased this woman. "Come on, lets get you out of here," he said quietly with a nod toward the outside world, leading her out of the cave and away from the slaver camp fairly quickly just to get away from these despicable wolves sooner rather than later. Once the camp was behind them he turned his gaze down toward her again with an uncertain flick of his ears. "I'm Plague," he offered after a moment. "What's your name?"

Plague | Viridis | Procella

The day she was captured was the day that her soul broke. Rav tried desperately to escape but was eventually muzzled and ties before they could get her into a cell of her own. One of the men that kept her suggested they tie and keep her behind bars. Rava was quiet after the removed her cloak and bound her, it didn’t take very much time to feel defeat and the once wild woman accepted her fate. She barely ate, hardly looked up when someone stopped to look at her. Despite not trying to take care of herself she was still the most beautiful woman in the pens, not that she cared.

Her once shining silver eyes were tarnished, but they matched the now lackluster tone of her coat. Rava stared at the wall in front of her, now she was just waiting for her last days. She’d already lost a lot of weight, and that was saying something from a creature that survived in the desert. She lay listlessly in her cell, unaware of the goings on outside. She didn’t even flick an ear when the two men outside began haggling her price. Rava felt like she might as well already be dead and had retreated far into herself.

She didn’t even know the door was open when her price was finally decided on. The slaver spoke but she didn’t respond, the massive man physically picked her up and ragged her to out the door before turning without another word. She was fully Plague’s problem now. She blinked her steel gaze in confusion, around her and up at Plague. Her ears slicked to her skull and her tail wrapped underneath her belly as she coward before him. The only reason she didn’t try and make a run for it was how weak she was. She could barely stand let alone run. Rava had little choice but to follow this man.

Her head hung low as they made their retreat from the wretched place she had been held for so long. How much did she dream about the sand under her paws and the heat at her back? She yearned to return to the desert, but even now as she leaped from the frying pan she was now in the fire. Eventually Plague stopped and Rava returned to her submissive posture, though her tail had never really left its place between her legs. He confronted her, giving his name and asking for hers.

Rava never trusted men. She couldn’t discern the kindness in his eye nor his voice. He had dominion over her. She had no freedom, the one possession she desired the most. What was her name? She had been alone for so long with no one to utter it. She tried not to think of saia, who was often in her mind as she rot in her cell. She’d betrayed her memory and honor by allowing herself to be caught. ”Rava.” She finally answered, her voice hoarse from disuse and fearful as she faced the unknown.

The concern that creased his brow deepened as he watched this woman contract into herself even more once they stopped so that he could ask for her name, his heart wrenching in his chest. Now that they were away from the pressing eyes of the slavers he was able to get a better look at her, the mistreatment and lack of nutrition more than evident in her thin frame and lack of shine to her coat. Even still, she was absolutely gorgeous with stunning patterns that were unlike anything he had ever seen. Even if he wasn't necessarily interested in women in a romantic or sexual way, he could still objectively recognize and appreciate that. The rasp to her voice and the fearfulness it held broke what little resolve he had left. He had never intended to treat whoever he ended up with badly, but he had gone into this thinking he was hiring help - not bringing in a new member of the family. Perhaps he should have known his own soft heart better, but now here he was.

He sat onto his haunches and reached into his bag, pulling out a water skin and a shallow dish, pouring some of the liquid out for her and picking a piece of dried venison for her from his supplies. He took a couple laps of the water for himself and took a bite of the meat before he passed it over - not because he was hungry, but because he wanted to show it was safe. "Here... It's not much, but just a little something to get you through till we get back to the den." He gave her a bit of space then, sitting back and letting her rest for a moment while he tried to figure out what he wanted to do. He felt gross and dirty about the whole situation and if she wasn't sitting right here he might have gone back and ripped apart those slavers for what they were doing. He couldn't think of her as a slave or even a servant. It just felt wrong.

When she was done he tucked the water skin and the dish back into his bag and stood there for a moment, just looking at the ground between them uncertainly. He wanted a family with Void, but this wasn't how he wanted to do it. "You're free, Rava," he said after a moment with a sigh, bringing his emerald gaze back to hers. "I thought... I thought I could do this, but I can't. I did this with the intention of finding a woman to be a surrogate and a nanny for my husband and I, but I can't force you into this. I'm sorry you were put in this situation at all." He hesitated, looking at her, wondering to himself if she'd be any better off being let out into the wilds on her own again. What were the chances that she'd just be snatched up again, locked away and sold to someone far worse than himself?

"I don't know if you'd even want this or not, but... If you want somewhere to stay then you're welcome to stay with my husband and I. We have a large den with a separate room you could use. His name is Void and he's the softest, sweetest wolf I've ever met." Without really meaning to, a soft smile pulled across his lips as he spoke of Void, even just the mention of his new husband making him happy. "It's up to you though. I won't force you to stay. But if you want somewhere to be you have it."

Plague | Viridis | Procella

Silence fell between them again, but to Rava the world was timeless. She was captured and at that moment was when everything stopped. There wasn’t anything left, no reason to keep going nor keep track of time. Steely eyes were downcast, though unbound she made no move to flee. Her fight was gone, her life was over. Rava glanced up at the massive marked man, his attention on the pack he was carrying. He pulled out water and a bite to eat, showing her that it was safe as he took a drink and a bite before he kindly offered both to her. Rava had seen ‘kindness’ before but she couldn’t let herself trust it. The last kindness she truly accepted was from Saia when she gave her own life so that Rava might go on and be free.

The galactic marked woman tried not to think of her one true friend very often, but there was something about Plague that reminded her of that sweet sweet woman. Maybe that was why when she looked up into his vibrant green gaze she felt okay taking the resources from him. She was starving, and despite losing her mental will her body had not. Her stomach roared as she looked to the dried jerky and despite herself she shuffled forward, thankful he had given her space to do so. She hated the thought but she had to give it to him, Rava was beginning to doubt her own hesitancy.

Rava nearly swallowed the whole piece of jerky in one massive chunk before moving to the water and gulping it down. She took no time to finish and make her slight retreat when he drew close again. He didn’t do anything to her when she shied away, that inaction spoke volumes to her tortured soul. She blinked in surprise as he spoke then, he was freeing her. For a moment her heart couldn’t believe what he said, he looked too much like the slavers that kept and used her, she knew where and what she would be used for and death seemed preferable. Plague was different though, in so many ways.

Her glittering ear twitched as he spoke of his original intentions. He’d not come for her specifically rather a womb to use in general because he wasn’t able to make children with his husband. Her eyes widened slightly as she took that fact in. Another difference between this man and the ones who kept her captive, they all had a dark taste for women. Plague apologized for her involvement at all but he was not the wolf that captured and bound her. He was the one that freed her.

Plague went on, not only would he free her, but if she wished she could stay with the pair of them even after he dismissed his original plans for her. Rava knew it would be difficult to trust him, but he was more genuine than anyone she had ever met. Taking her chances with him were much better than trying to duck slavers until she returned to the desert. If she could return to the desert. ”I’ll come.” She returned softly, tail between her legs and her form still cowering, but she met his gaze and kept it. A sign that progress was being made. If she really was free, she could leave when she was recovered, if she wasn’t… at least she had an idea of the future she could expect. She hoped.

With the guarded, frightened stance she still held he really wasn't certain what her response would be to his offer. If she had denied it and left or even just turned to run off without a word he wouldn't have been surprised or even upset. He couldn't fathom what was going through her head in that moment and it bothered him to know that she was ever put into a life that could have made her this way. When she did agree to come with him, a smile pulled across his lips, relief easily seen in his emerald eyes. At the very least he knew that he would be taking her somewhere safe where she could recuperate and relax. Perhaps in time he could build her trust and make a friend of this small, galaxy marked woman, but even if she only stayed long enough to build up her strength then he would be happy that he could help her before she went on her way.

"Wonderful. I'm really glad. Come on then, lets get you home. It's not a terrible walk to get back, but it'll probably be dark by the time we get there." He gave her another encouraging smile before turning toward the direction that would lead them back to the hot springs where her new home would be waiting. "I've been putting some work into the spare bedroom, but there's still a bit of work to be done," he mentioned, glancing back over his shoulder at him. "I apologize that it's still a bit of a work in progress. But if there's anything you'd like changed about it then there's still plenty of room for personalization!" He spent the walk back home mentioning little things about their den, the hot springs, Void, their families... Anything that might help her get more familiar with him and this life that he was bringing her into. Even if she only ever stayed with them for a short time, he still hoped he could help her at least feel comfortable with them.

Part of him wondered if she might eventually be willing to be a surrogate for them with enough time and trust. Secretly he hoped so only because he knew he wouldn't be able to put himself through buying another slave and he wasn't sure how to go about finding a woman willing to do such a thing otherwise. Maybe he would have to break down and ask Chimera or Siren if they could borrow one of their slaves for the task. He held no expectations for Rava though. For now he just wanted to get her home and get her a real meal - not just some piece of jerky he had packed for travel.

Plague | Viridis | Procella

She made him smile, but the expression didn’t mean anything to Rava yet. She still didn’t trust him at all, but he was a much better option than trying to return to a life that was so far gone now. Rava would likely only become captured again, and at least with Plague it seemed that she would receive a semblance of respect. For now. He did seem genuinely pleased with her answer, and she couldn’t tell if it was because he felt pleased in himself about saving her, or the fact that he still might be able to use her for her originally intended purpose. Rava had a hopeful feeling that after everything all of this would be by her choice. Remaining in his care for now was the first step.

He told her the place she would be staying was a work in progress, and even went so far as to apologize to her when she hadn’t even seen her new home yet. Rava tried to look grateful, but she still felt nervous and wasn’t sure about the man’s true motives. There was one test she could pursue. It would either garner quite a reward or a deep learning moment.

”Sir,” Rava spoke softly, she was uncertain of what might result of her actions but either way would be revealing. She was obviously timid and uncertain, but he was well aware of that by now. ”I had a.. I had a cloak they took from me.” Rava admitted to him in her gentle voice, uncertain if there even was a way for him to help her. ”I… I do.. Better. With something.” She was still quite hoarse despite the drink, her voice still recovering from disuse.

Before they got far on their trip back home, Plague's ears perked when Rava spoke softly, getting his attention with a simple "sir". He stopped, turning a curious emerald gaze down toward his new companion. He honestly hadn't expected her to speak again with how quiet and uncertain she had been thus far, but he was happy to hear her voice even if it was hoarse and quiet from a distinct lack of use. He was quiet while she explained how the slavers that had taken her captive had also stolen her cloak and how she would do better with it. His brows pulled together with thought, his expression darkening. These brutes, these wolves that made up the worst of the worst and and the scum of the earth, had not only captured her and locked her away for their own profit and pleasure, but had taken something from her that she clearly held so dear. With the state she was in he wondered how much longer she would have lasted in that cell. They had done this to her and she wasn't the only one. There were still so many wolves locked away, waiting for someone to come and buy them.

He had done his best to not engage the salvers to ensure that he got Rava out safely, but now that she was well out of reach of them and that had been accomplished the anger he had felt for those monsters returned. "What does your cloak look like?" he asked, waiting for her to answer before he gave her a small nod. He knew he had more than enough skill in crafting garments to make her a new cloak, but that wasn't really the point, was it? The point that he couldn't let these brutes continue to get away with doing these things to wolves as helpless as her. With a grim determination he slipped the pack off of himself and sat it at Rava's feet. "Take this and go hide in that stand of trees there," he told her, motioning to a cluster of trees maybe a half dozen feet away. "Stay there till I get back, alright? I'll try not to be long."

He didn't wait to see if she followed his instructions or not before he turned and went back toward the camp, no hesitation in his stride as he moved at an easy lope. As he got closer he picked the wolf he had purchased Rava from out of the crowd easily, moving toward him with all original traces of pleasantness wiped from his expression. The saver barely spared him a glance before Plague questioned him. "The girl says she had a cloak. Where is it?" The slave trader scoffed at him, grinning as he spared a glance toward one of his counterparts, a look that said 'can you believe this guy?' A snarl twitched at Plague's lips as the lead slaver gave a nod toward him to one of the burly wolves who was clearly more brawn than brains, saying, "Get this him out of here."

The second that this brute reached out to try and grab his scruff Plague grabbed the hilt of the dagger that was sheathed at his shoulder, pulling it free just as he felt teeth bite into the back of his neck. Flipping the blade around to face his opponent with a quick flick of his head, he drove the dagger hard into the neck of the wolf that touched him, making him immediately let go of his neck as he gave a choked gasp, the brute's eyes going wide from shock and pain. Turning and giving a hard yank of his head at the same time, he pulled the blade through the front of the brute's throat, spraying the shoulder that was capped with a skull on his armor with crimson blood. The wolf fell beside him, choking and twitching as he suffocated and drowned on his own blood.

Hell broke loose, some of the other males around him lunging forward to attack him in retaliation for murdering their companion. Each time he swung and stabbed, shoving them away until another took their place. By the time the head of their band finally called them off, he had several deep bites across his scruff as well as one on his side near his left hip and glancing scrape along the edge of his left jaw as well. None of them were that serious or fatal - which was a far cry from what could be said for the wolves he fought off. Another brute joined his friend dead on the ground at his feet and a few more than now stood off to the side were bleeding from stab wounds and claw marks to their shoulders, legs, faces... Anywhere he could reach while he was fighting. He fixed his emerald gaze on the head of these idiots once more, panting around the hilt of his dagger with his lips still pulled up in a snarl.

"Natalia!" he yelled and Plague glanced past him at a smaller woman that peeked out from the cave that was over the slaver's shoulder. "Bring me the cloak from my stores." Plague scoffed and wiped the off his dagger across his foreleg before sheathing it again while he waited, the woman appearing beside her master or mate - which one he couldn't really decide - carrying a cloak that matched the description Rava gave him. The slaver grabbed it from her and tossed it over to Plague, the Abraxas man catching it while the other brute muttered something about never dealing with pack wolves again and turning away to go into the cave. Satisfied, Plague turned away as well, walking off to bring his prize back to Rava.

While he wasn't significantly hurt, he was sure he looked far worse than he actually was. He was covered in blood, but a large portion of it wasn't his own. He'd need to get the bites looked at purely to make sure they didn't get infected, but besides a bit of blood loss making his head slightly woozy he wasn't too worse for wear. He walked over to the cluster of trees that he had asked Rava to wait in with her cloak held carefully between his teeth, emerald gaze searching for the black and red marked woman.

Plague | Viridis | Procella

She was surprised when he did not chastise her for speaking up about her lost cloak. Maybe he really was telling the truth, maybe this really was a step towards her freedom. For only a moment she thought he might show his anger to her, the way his expression darkened towards her. Instead with determination in his voice, he asked her what it looked like. Her silver eyes went wide, showing the emotion beneath as her dark lips parted. ”Dark forest green, big enough to cover me.” She told him softly. Suddenly his pack was at her dainty paws and he was giving her a command to hide away until he returned to her. His words were almost more of a request than an order, and she felt and knew the difference. With a quick nod she agreed. Picked up the pack and went to hunker down in the woods until he found her again.

Who knew how long that would be. Maybe he wouldn’t come back, then what would she do? Try and find his mysterious husband to give him the bad news? Try and take what supplies he had and try not to get herself captured again? Throw herself off a cliff before they could? Those thoughts filled her mind as she curled into the leaf litter and hid her dark and red body in the dead leaves and ferns. She decided then that once evening fell, if he hadn’t found his way back, the poor man probably wouldn’t and she would be forced to make a decision.

She watched, Rava could just see through the woods, she couldn’t see the camp but that was for the better. Waiting breathlessly, knowing the world would end if she was found. Never would she have thought she would be waiting on a strange man to return to her. Not when she wasn’t tied. When he did return, sooner than even she anticipated, his white fur was stained red. That he was alive made her believe it was not nearly all his.

He didn’t see her, but he held her cloak victoriously and awaited her to return to him. Rava appeared from the foliage, her slender star splattered frame approached him cautiously. She felt herself become a little more brave before him. Her tail still clung to her belly between her legs, and her ears slicked to her head but she was standing in his presence, astounded he had done this for her.

A bit move movement among the underbrush pulled his attention and then there she was, the woman this had all been for. He smiled a little around the cloak between his teeth as she walked up to him. Her ears were still tucked back and her tail was hidden between her legs, but she willingly walked up to him and that alone felt like a victory. As long as she could begin to trust him and understand that he truly wanted what would make her most comfortable then perhaps they could build a friendship of sorts out of this mess. Once she was in front of him he settled back on his haunches so that he could arrange the cloak between his paws, sweeping it over her and draping it across her thin shoulders, fastening it for her around her neck.

"Better?" he asked with a warm smile, the softness in that expression a stark contrast to the gruesome blood that was splattered across his pale coat. He gave her a small nod then and stood again, picking up his bag and slipping it around him again. "Alright... Lets go home." He was tired from the fight, but he was pretty sure that he could make it back to the hot springs without having to stop for the night if for no other reason than out of his pure eagerness to get back to Void. Along the way when they passed a river he did stop long enough to rise out most of the blood from his pelt just so he wouldn't worry Void too terribly much, but otherwise he kept them moving all the way back to the hot springs with their new den mate in tow.

Plague | Viridis | Procella

She flinched slightly as he pulled the cloak over her head and shoulders. She knew he wasn’t about to hurt her, he wouldn’t have went through all of that trouble if that were his goal. Still, she had only known him an hour at best. There were some things that weren’t so easily unlearned. She was quickly relieved when the weight of the fabric settled back over her, the hood obscured her features and she wasn’t seen any longer. ”Yes,” she said softly in answer, not afraid to reply to his question and feeling oddly grateful. She was starting to believe him, and it felt incredible. She knew if she was deceived again it really would be the end of her. She nodded in acceptance, come what may, she would see where he led her and if she could truly begin to relax and embrace her freedom.