The little Slave slept fitfully for a few hours after her accident. Though her temporary confines where much more plush and higher quality than her storeroom bed of a few thin fox furs, her injuries kept her from enjoying the luxury.

Ignita woke from her half rest, her body beginning to shake from lack of pain meds and the trauma of the fall catching up to her. Her little possum Ida bounded off the bed to give her room to tell it what to do.

The wolfs breath comes in starts, the pain in her ribs taking over. She tried shuffling to the herbs for her pain but the bruises and her freshly splinted back right leg prevent her from making much ground.

Idalia squeaks at her. She forgot she had an extra pair of dextrous paws. She pointed with her nose to the pile and Ida placed a paw on some leaves,
"Nnn-no... The- thother... One" she tried to say. Ida placed a paw on another pile of herbs, "y... Yes... Brr-ring?" Ida brings her the herbs and Ignita does her best to take them, not registering the taste much. She couldn't remember if they needed to be steeped to be effective but this'll do for now right?

She laid her head back down and waited for the herbs to take effect again.

"Ignita"

Basilisk may enter her threads without warning.

Spider wakes from an evening nap with a large yawn, rolling carelessly out of bed and smoothing down a few strands of wayward fur. they’re slowly adjusting to their new room, though they keep expecting to wake up in the treehouse, sunlight streaming in through their window and stirring their pelt with a cool morning breeze. in an attempt to make it feel more like home, they’ve already tacked up a few posters and propped up a few plants, though without access to sunlight it’s likely most of them will wither in weeks. still, they’re thinking of other ways to brighten up the place, like hunting down a sheep and skinning it’s pelt for a rug. that’d really tie the room together, wouldn’t it? humming to themselves, Spider trots out of their room, but the presence of a familiar scent stops them short.

Iggy…?

it’s a reasonably new scent, considering they’ve only met once, but Spider recognises it all the same. and it’s different, intertwined with herbs and tea and…blood. frowning, they step hesitantly into the room beside theirs and let their eyes drink in the scene before them. needless to say, it isn’t a pretty sight. “Ig, oh my gosh!” they rush forward, mouth agape and eyes so wide the whites of them are nearly visible. the little slave is slathered in bandages and balms, her bed surrounded by healing paraphernalia. her face is contorted in pain, and Spider’s stomach gives a nauseous flip. “what happened?” they rasp, not wanting to startle her. probably wasn’t a good idea to go galloping into a sick person’s room and start shouting. “did…did someone do this to you?” they won’t say Bas’ name, they truly don’t believe he’d treat any packmate this way, not even a slave. still, they have to know the truth for their own piece of mind.

Speech

Ignita opened her golden eyes as she heard an approach. She wanted to be present in case Basilisk had more questions for her. But the approached sounded much smaller. She closed her eyes again, the herbs were starting to help.

Suddenly she heard a part of her name and an exclamation. She opened her eyes again this time to see Spiders pinks creased in concern.

Oh boy did she have a story for them. Slowly she raised her head and gave the crown prince a wry smile.
"Oh... I'll be fine." She weakly reassured them, looking anything but. Her voice cracked. But the herbs were doing their work and her voice would soon gain clarity and strength.

"Someone?... Oh! No!" She chuckled dryly, suddenly she realized she could do a lot of damage for Basilisks image here, she didn't want people to think he did this!
"No no, I did it. I was trying..." Ow... breathe, slowly, "I was trying to make a vent in the storage room. Really up high. Like near the ceiling. I built some steps and such throughout the shelves." She shook her head ruefully, she was such an idiot, "I uh... Well the vent isn't done. And I'll have my work cut out for me when I'm better." She sighed, a smile on her lips.

"I'm glad to see you Spider. It was really nice of Basilisk to carry me here when he found me." There, nothing but the truth, and hopefully it left no room for anyone to assume she was being mistreated. Quite the opposite.

"Ignita"

Basilisk may enter her threads without warning.

relief sweeps through them so fiercely it almost knocks their feet out from under them. exhaling, Spider visibly relaxes as the tension drains from their tiny frame. in fact, they’re glad to hear Bas carried the little slave to the guest room himself. oh, Dad, you big softie… when it’s made apparent that Ignita isn’t in any real danger, Spider gives a frustrated huff and prods Ig just slightly on the shoulder - not even to hurt, but enough to be reprimanding. “don’t go scaring us like that!” ‘us’ meaning both Spider and Bas, as much as the warlord might like to deny it. “why would you try to yo up that high by yourself!” well, they can hazard a guess as to why…as a slave of the pack, it’s likely Ig didn’t feel comfortable asking for help. maybe she even felt the need to prove herself by doing it alone. the thought wrangles Spider. “in the future, you should ask for help if you need it,” they say, fixing Ignita with a stern look. it softens almost immediately as the heir runs a worried gaze over their friend’s bandaged form. “are you comfortable? can i get you anything?”

Speech

Ignita sheepishly ducks as Spider gives her a gentle shove to her shoulder.
"Oh, believe me, he gave me a right earful he did!" She admitted. Basilisk was turning out to be a lot softer with her than she knew he could be. He may have only slapped her around in the beginning to have her step in line but as long as she kept as close to the line as she could, he seemed to be content to let her do her best.

"Honestly, I didn't think I'd need the help. I was trying to copy something from my homeland to make the storerooms even colder to keep the foodstuffs from spoiling longer. I even had a landing pad if I fell! But I think I missed it, I don't really remember the fall yet." She wasn't used to even asking for help from anyone, they would laugh her off and she'd have to figure it out on her own regardless. Being encouraged to ask for help was completely new for her. How would she know she would need help... if she didn't know she needed it?

"Oh thank you," She waved the offering away, "I think I'm the most comfortable I've ever been." She had never felt a polar bear's skin, it was so plush and warm, that she'd be loath to leave it when she was made to resume her duties. "Wylan, Oleander, and the others have been very nice to me giving me what I need." She smiled warmly before something occurred to her.

"Actually! I was wondering if I could practice my drawings of you! Would you like to pose for me while I sketch?" She asked eagerly, grabbing a vine of charcoal and a blank vellum provided by the Warlord himself.

"Ignita"

Basilisk may enter her threads without warning.

Spider listens to Ignita’s explanation with raised brows, expression growing impressed. “huh…that’s really smart, actually.” and then, because they can’t resist, “you still shouldn’t have done it alone, though.” satisfied the little slave has been probably chastised, Spider sits down by her bed and neatly wraps their tail around themselves, trying to mitigate the possibility of knocking important medical stuff over.  “Wylan’s great,” they chime in, smiling fondly at the thought of their young friend. “i’m glad you’ve met him, he’s probably, like, the sweetest little guy ever.” their thoughts swiftly change direction at Ignita’s request, brows lifting in surprise. “you want to…draw me?” they prod, lips twitching in amusement. they glance down at themselves, taking in their scruffy appearance with a wry smile. “by all means, go ahead. just make sure you get my good side.” Spider lifts their chin teasingly, striking a dramatic pose.

Speech

When Spider compliments her on being smart she blinks as a rush of warmth spreads over her cheeks and she hides her face behind her golden paws while they chastise her further.
"I know I know!" She appeals with a smile.

She sighs with some relief as they come to sit next to her and the conversation turns to remarking on the boy Wylan. She was nodding in affirmation, he was really nice. She loved how he was ever so gentle and a literal ray of sunshine wherever he went.

When they were surprised that Ignita wanted to draw them she nodded again, the warmth rushing to her cheeks again and her golden eyes made half moons with glee about it, half hiding behind her vellum paper she would sketch on.

As they pose she giggles as she begins, her charcoal scratching over the paper with a circle and roughly placing down their scruffy appearance, almost in a rush. "Oh, you don't have a bad side." She replied lightly, then hid again behind her paper just realizing what she said.

After a few moments, she doodles a few icons in the corner, mostly of them with a few extra legs like real spiders.

"There! All done!" She laughs a little sheepishly before giving them the paper and finding a flap of fur to cover her face with. She couldn't bear to see their expression if they hated it or thought it was silly.

"Speech"

they wait patiently, trying their best not to move around too much – though they’ve never been good at staying still, always buzzing with energy. still, they want to do this for their friend, to distract her from the pain of her injuries. once Ignita declares herself done, Spider shakes themselves out and begins to scratch at an itch that’d occurred the second they’d tried to pose. “ooo, let me see the fruits of my labour!” they lean over the sketches, gaze shifting across the page. something unreadable falls across their face. "this,” they begin, voice low and sullen, “is…”

and then their face lights up, a big grin splitting across their face. “amazing! Iggy, you’re so talented! can i…can i have this? i wanna put it up in my room!”

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

The sound of their voice starts to concern her, something in her chest starts to clench into a tight worried ball. Oh no, they don't like it, she wasn't that great at it. They hated it! Oh no!
She cautiously peers over the fur she was hiding behind and starts wagging her tail as they begin to sing her praises.

"Wait, really? You do like it?" She swivels her ears to and fro anxiously. "I mean sure! You can absolutely keep it!" She pulls her face out of the fur finally with a huge grin. Could she trust what they were saying? They weren't going to turn around and tear it up and laugh at her about how silly it was?

"I'm so glad you like it!" She couldn't help her smiling, her cheeks almost hurt.

"Speech"

“of course!”  Spider insists, feeling vaguely baffled. who wouldn’t like it? the skill in every stroke…they feel honoured to have been its subject! “thanks, Ig! i’ll frame it right over my bed so i can kiss myself goodnight.” they wink, then carefully gather the drawing up and set it to one side so it won’t get wrecked. “how’d you learn to draw?” they press. they inch closer - until they’re almost squished up against the little slave’s side - and blink big puppy eyes at Ignita. “can you teach me? pleeease?”

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

The knot in her chest relaxed into an easy warmth, they were being authentic! She still pulled her paws, careful of her leg, under her body to keep them from frantically moving about with the nervous energy. Yes, she DID draw that and it felt so strange and exhilarating to show them!

She couldn't contain her mirth as they said they would kiss it goodnight. Her giggles erupted and she was forced to pull her paw out from under her to cover her nose and mouth to help it subside. Would Spider consider giving someone else a kiss every now and then... maybe? The thought completely surprised her and she blushed all the way up to her ears as she coiled ever tighter into herself.

They asked how she learned and inched even closer!
"Oh of course! I honestly don't remember how I learned." She said, not not thinking about how close Spider was. They were only a few seasons apart in age, weren't they? She was glad for the distraction!

"Here! I just grab this charcoal in my paw, I typically hold it between two toes here and use my shoulder for the big strokes, and my elbow and wrist for some of the smaller marks." She said, demonstrating her technique and rolling a piece over to them.
"I was alone a lot, and this was how I passed the time and made discoveries. I'd forget everything if I didn't mark it down somehow." She mentioned.

"Ignita"

Basilisk may enter her threads without warning.

Spider leans interestedly over Ignita’s shoulder, watching eagerly. her strokes are so controlled, every line precise and careful. Spider is just itching to have a go. but as they listen to Ig talk, their stomach twists in sympathetic pain. “i’m sorry you were alone,” they murmur, voice soft. “when my…mother left, i wasn’t alone for long before Hazel found me. but the time I did spend alone…it was terrifying.” they’d been shaking, vision obscured by the tears dripping down their face. a vulnerable child, so small they probably could’ve fit in the palm of Bas’ paw. to think of Ignita like that…

Spider pushes the thought away, focusing on the sketch coming to life on the page. “can i try?” they ask, resting a paw over the one Ignita is using.

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

They leaned over her shoulder, she could feel the heat from their body radiate into her pale fur. Something in her lungs clenched as their scent filled her nose wholly.
Their voice laden with soft sympathy entered her ears gently and it made her turn toward them as they shared their story. Spider had been completely abandoned! Cometplely alone! Ignita was mostly ignored but she was still part of a pack from her earliest memories, someone was always around. She couldn't imagine being so alone... Well... She did when she landed here in these lands somewhat... Before Bas claimed her as his slave. But she had ignored her feelings of abandonment and kept herself distracted and busy. They tried to shake away the feeling and placed a paw over the charcoal in hers, but she just couldn't leave it like that!

"Oh, Spider! Of course, you can try, but that's awful! I was mostly ignored as a kid. I'm so glad Hazel found you!" She replied leaning, into them. She was never one to leave anything well enough alone when it came to others.

"Here," She couldn't help but smile as she felt Spider's paw over hers as she carefully drew a flame symbol while they were both pressed so close to each other. It looked very similar to one of the ginger markings on her pelt.

"It takes practice." She said smiling at them.

"Ignita"

Basilisk may enter her threads without warning.

’i’m so glad Hazel found you.’ the words echo as Spider watches Ignita move their combined paws across the paper, pleased at the flame-like swirl that begins to take form. a warmth they’ve become wonderfully familiar with blooms in the center of their chest, heating them from the inside-out. whatever they’ve done to deserve such kind, supportive people in their life, they don’t know, but they appreciate it beyond measure. “thanks, Ig. that means a lot.” they bump their shoulder against hers, eyes crinkling at the corners. “us orphan bastards gotta stick together, huh?” should Ignita allow it, they attempt to slide the charcoal into their own paw and begin sloppily sketching a collection of wonky faces across the page: Bas, Hazel, Iggy, and themselves. a family portrait.

withdrawing, Spider works the kinks out of their muscles. “well, i should probably let you get some more rest.”

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

Ignita let out a burst of light laughter, "Orphaned bastards!" She hadn't heard the term before about herself, it made sense! She was! She had always been! It just hadn't ever occurred to her. She didn't mind at all, she was feeling the opposite of an orphaned bastard lately.

She watched with a soft smile as Spider sketched a portrait, of Bas, Hazel, herself, and then themselves. She looked it over as they withdrew and stretched, already missing their warmth next to her.

She held the paper up and then hugged it close, wrinkling it just slightly.
"I love it, I'll hang this up and kiss it every night too!" She gleefully said. "Have a great night Spy."


"Speech"