The panic in her eyes fed the hunger inside of him. He followed her over the table, clearing it in one powerful leap of his long legs. He landed hard on his injured paw. Definitely sprained, and it slowed him for a moment as she moved over the bed. He put on a burst of speed, thinking how fitting it would be to catch her there. His paw skimmed her tail as she fled him, and he threw himself to the side to avoid the falling antlers as she knocked them from the wall.


He was almost on her now, heavy paws half a breath behind her. She screamed, and he pounced. Rolling them both with the force of their momentum. They both hit the wall beside the door, and he shoved her under him before she could try to flee him again. He was breathing heavily from excitement and the short dash. She hadn't even made it out the den, Disappointing, really. “I expected a better chase. I expected better from you, my wilting flower.” But she had disappointed him multiple times today.


He grabbed her shoulder in two paws and with a fluid movement of power and force, he snapped it. Breaking the leg in a clean sweep. At the same instant, his mouth snapped to hers hungrily, forcing his tongue against her muzzle as he kissed her, choking off the scream she was likely spitting it out with the break.


He wasn't done with her yet. He spread her legs with his back paws, stepping heavily on the thigh of each back leg, digging in his claws and drawing blood. “Please, little Demelza. Let me have my way with you.” The words were a dark chuckle as he lifted his lips from hers.

"Speech"

Just before she could reach the door she felt her body slam against the wall with him and the wind run from her diaphragm with the force. She was shoved to the ground and he loomed over her, her paws scrambled to fight him off, flailing as quickly in the air to try and wriggle free. One back paw pulled free and braced against his thigh as she gasped and sputtered, her lungs aching for air. Her thin legs and fragile frame were reeds compared to his powerfully atrocious muscles.

"You don't understand! You can't trust-"

He grasped her tiny shoulder. Suddenly a sickening bloodcurdling howl started to gather in her lungs as her leg made a horrific snap! But her scream was muffled as he drank from her lips and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't free her mouth from his.

She tried feebly to push away from him with her back legs but he was already pressing her thighs apart readying her for the ruinous incursion. She felt the gruesome weight of his claws pierce the tender flesh of her inner thighs. She whimpered beneath him as he released her mouth to darkly chuckle into her ear his earlier phantom plea. The tears flowed freely as the adrenaline numbed the pain in her freshly broken leg.

Her head swam with alcohol, pain, and panic. She wanted to spit at him, throw that callous request in his face but she could barely muster the effort to look him in the eye. He'd probably kill her if she did. Shuddering and trembling beneath him she went limp and presented her throat to him. Refusing to answer him. Knowing the inevitable would transpire regardless of the answer this time.

She had no power that could stop him. The strength in her frail form was pitiful at best, and shameful at worst. He felt his claws dig into her flesh, and the tears spring free in her eyes. He was moments from victory, his slave was broken and trembling beneath him, and something roiled inside of him. Perhaps the alcohol, soaking through his body. But as he looked at her small body. Trembling from fear and pain, he remembered another time, another place. A time when he had been the weaker wolf, small and frail. Untrained, and ungrown. For the first time something else surged inside of him. Aided by the alcohol, and perhaps the pain of his own wounds. Shame. 


He loosened his grip on her, hating the surge of weakness inside of him. He almost continued on in spite of himself, but he suddenly could not. Any lust had fled him. He staggered off her, his drunkenness showing now that the adrenaline had faded from his system. 


“Shhhh” he told her, shuffling towards her front. He grabbed a coat stacked by the door and ripped it into a strip, pulling her arm into place as he bound it. His movements were clumsy, and his head was pounding. Why did he feel regret? Curse himself, curse any lingering weakness the world hadn't burned from his body yet.

"Speech"

She waited for him to do his worst. Tensing herself, her breath shallow and unhurried. Instead of the force she expected he lifted away from her. Her eyes flung open and darted around to find him. Fear at this new turn of events, what test was this now? Had the alcohol overwhelmed him? Could he not get it up? When she finally found him with her eyes he was moving closer to her broken leg. Confused she saw an emotion she recognized before in one person only. Her father. For whatever reason this strange emotion settled into the unsettling eyes of her master.

She gasped and hissed in pain as he started to bring her leg together, her eyes never leaving him. Concern and confusion settled into her gaze as she watched him wrap it.

He broke her leg, she would be useless for weeks until it healed. Or next to useless. Her face was pale and ashen beneath her fur as the adrenaline started to wear off. The world was starting to grow cloudy and muffled as her blood pressure dropped.

"a board... or stick... need to... keep it straight." She rasped weakly. Struggling to keep her eyes from rolling to the back of her head and faint. Why? Why? Why? Was he willing to try? Was he willing to find her true yes?

It burned in his throat, and his head swam. He swallowed it down, refusing to throw up. He was showing enough weakness as it was. If there was any strength in Demelza she would pounce on it now. Rip him to shreds, because he was proving what he had always feared. There was weakness in his soul. 


He got up, staggering and unbalanced, regretting the drink he had partaken too readily in. He made his way to the small healing kit she had started to build since she had been living here. He grabbed something better to bind her with, and a board to straighten the limb. He grabbed the pain relief paste she was allowed to keep purely for his own use as well. 


He returned to her, and propped her head up on his leg. “How much paste can I safely give you? Stay with me Demelza, answer the question.” He ordered her groggy eyes.

Her head was swimming from the pain and struggling to breathe readily. He left her for a moment, her breath ragged. Her eyes fluttered to the door... so close. She'd never make it on the limb. Despite his grogginess, he would sober up fast enough to make her pay for it. She had decided to stay through this. He had told her to run, so she had.

She hadn't realized he had returned. He was speaking to her as her eyes fluttered over his face. She saw the paste in his paw and slowly her mind unraveled his words she didn't know she heard.

"Four for you... three for me.... every... four hours." She distantly spoke. Her head lay on his leg, she shouldn't have goaded him... She didn't think he'd give her the paste. Her face felt numb. Her normally green flashy eyes had grown as pale as his. Only a hint of green in them as she tried to watch him.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

She rested her head on his leg, and he allowed it. Shifting awkwardly to give himself room to move as he gave her three doses of the paste as she prescribed. He waited until it had gone down, before shifting back to the broken foreleg. He frowned at it, it wasn’t the first broken leg he had seen in his time. It wasn’t the worst break he had suffered. So why did this one change things? Why did he still feel that horrid taste of regret burning in the back of his throat?

He flicked the limb, and it wobbled a little. Broken and swinging. He sighed, and started to bandage it with the makeshift materials he had gathered for the splint. Pulling it into position, and wrapping it. Perhaps not with the same care she would have managed, but passable.

When he was done, he picked her up by the scruff of her neck, balancing one paw under her chest so he wasn’t pulling too much on her neck, and took her to the bed. He placed her down, arranging her so her broken limb wouldn’t be jarred, and pulled the blanket over her form. “You require rest to recover, and if you don’t recover you're useless to me.” He told her, looking down at her pale eyes and thin frame. As if his needs were the only reason he cared for her at all. It had to be, he couldn't accept the odd emotion floating through his veins.


"Speech"

She took the doses, idly wondering why he was administering them. Was this her fault? For resisting him?

He flicked the limb and it sent a shuddering shiver through her whole body. Absently she watched him wrap it, still mildly confused but too out of it to be bothered by it. She barely felt him lift her up by her scruff, holing her chest and dragging her into the bed. Was he going to do it anyway? She certainly couldn't fight back now.

Instead... he placed the cover over her and told her to rest and recover. Her eyes were still confused as they fluttered, untrusting, closed to sleep.

----

The first few days were a blur. She had never had this kind of pain before and the medicine had made her sleepy along with the pain. After a few more days the pain meds began taking the edge off and allowing her time to be awake.

It was about midday and the den was empty. Could she try and make him a meal yet? Polish his armor? She lifted her head, but it didn't immediately swim. Maybe she could at least dust something... Change the bedding? She'd lay here long enough for sure. She needed to be useful...

Slowly Demelza slid off the bed to the ground. Her limbs shook with the effort, even if her leg was braced and no pressure applied. She was even thinner than before if that was possible. She made her way shakily to the meal prep area. A fire had been kindled already, it just needed to be stoked back to life. She hooked a claw at a log to try and drag it back to the fire but she shook and trembled with the effort.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

Flare returned to find her out and about. She’d barely left the bed the last few days, leaving him to sleep on a spare coat as he left her to recover. Her slow progress was a source of frustration to him, but this time, this once... he left his frustrations to himself. He’d caught a string of rabbits today, and he tossed them on the table as he paused to watch her kindle the fire. How capable was she feeling today?

He watched her a few more moments, and then turned back to the table. He skinned the rabbits using his metal claw tips, separating the skin which he would hang and dry. The meat, he cut into chunks and placed to the side. He wasn’t much of a cook, and neither had eaten much more than plain raw meat while she had been out. He missed her cooking. Damn fool of a wolf, getting herself broken.

He cleared his throat, and clicked a paw. His usual way to get her attention. “Make a stew, something hearty. I’m increasing your meals, for a little while.” He informed her. She was skin and bone.

"Speech"

Her ears caught the movement of him coming back and she flinched as the door closed behind him. Her eyes glanced back at him, noticing the catch he had brought. She turned back to her task of stoking the fire. Trying smaller and smaller pieces until she could drag them into the hearth. Finally, it started to crackle and sputter. She visibly jumped when he clicked his paw, making her wrench her leg just enough for her to wince. She nodded at the instructions. She tried lifting the pot up to its spot over the fire but she was panting with the effort. She was trying her best! It just wasn;t good enough! She had to try harder! She flicked her claw under the sie handle and swung the pot over her good shoulder. Then carefully maneuvered it over the fire. Suddenly the bandage on her arm was smoking as it was singed by the flames. She quickly smacked the fire out but gasped as her efforts made the break twinge and her face pale again. She slumped to the side to catch her breath. There wasn't even any water in it yet. When was the last time she even had a drink? Had he made her drink in those delirious few days?

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

Flare watched, impassive as she attempted to lift the heavy pot over the fire. She clearly struggled, but was attempting to push through it. He was of the mind that the work was good for rebuilding her strength. It was almost painful to watch as she attempted to swing it over the fire. When she finally succeeded, she managed also to catch herself on fire.

He growled and abandoned the rabbit pelts as he stalked forward. He grabbed her roughly, and pulled her into the space below his collarbone. He held her there, and pulled off the bandage - which likely needed to be changed regardless. Her fur was slightly damp from herbs, and that dampness seemed to have stopped the fire from spreading any further than the material.

He paused there, at a loss for a moment, cradling her small form in his paws. He breathed in the scent of her, which was mixed with fire and herbs. “Demelza.” he whispered softly into her ear. “Does the wound need to be washed?”


"Speech"

Suddenly she was manhandled roughly and held tightly pressed against his chest, the bandage ripped off before any real damage from the fire could be done. Her breath caught in her throat, hardly feeling the sudden pain of it being moved. Too scared to move, her breath held in her throat. She could feel his chest rise and fall as he took in her scent. She swallowed as they stood for a moment and let her breathing go only for it to rush back in with a hitching haste. He whispered her name in her ear, in a way that caught her off guard.
She glanced down at the wound, probably the first time she really looked at it.
"Yes..." She whispered back, her other paw coming to grasp his arm that held her close. He must be so frustrated with her. He had only wanted to celebrate his challenge and she had goaded him to breaking her leg after a little something to drink.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

He was so far out of his element. He could barely get by with the basics of healing, but with Demelza it seemed he was forced to take a crash course just to keep her operational. She agreed with his assessment and he let his teeth graze the tip of one ear, and then he was gone. Trotting away from her as he raided her healing kit once more, and grabbed a bowl of water. Her supplies were dwindling, and that would have to be dealt with sooner rather than later. So much to do, so little time…

He returned to her tiny, thin frame. Coming up behind her again as he cut off all aspects of personal space. Leaning over her, he dipped a cloth into the water, and brushed it through the fur that had been bandaged. Cleaning off the herbs as he wet the cloth and repeated the motion until the leg was clean. There was something raw and intimate in taking charge of her injuries. Of tending to her tiny frame, which seemed to require so much just to keep it functioning. “Tell me what to do next.” another soft whisper in her ear, a command.


"Speech"

The tip of her ear sent tingles through her skin like a strange cascade. She blinked as he was suddenly gone, her eyes following cluelessly and confused. Understanding so far from her grasp she couldn't even conceive it. He brought himself behind her again and she watched as he carefully cleaned the herbs off her leg. Blinking and trying her best not to wince as her leg was jostled. She was so small compared to him he easily reached wherever he wanted of her from his stance behind her.

She could feel his breath as he worked to clean her leg. She could feel the movements of his shoulders through her fur while he worked. The quiet den felt so very close. She gulped as she felt his breath in her ear once more.

"..M-more paste and new bindings. A tea of boneset, the white flowers..." Her breath ran through her whispered words like a hesitant wind not quite knowing what to do with the leaves. She pointed with her nose to a stalk of boneset hanging from the rafters.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

He ran a dry cloth across her leg to push out some of the moisture, and grabbed the paste he had left in reaching distance. He spread it across the broken leg in a slow, smooth motion. Her fur felt amazing beneath his pad, distracting… he took in a slow breath, and realised he’d halt mid way through the job. He shook his head, and grabbed the new bindings, wrapping them around her limb. Sorted, for the moment at least.

She claimed she needed a tea as well, and he narrowed his eyes at her. Exactly where did he draw the line at her pampering? He didn’t want to ruin all his hard work by spoiling her, especially so early on. “After you make us the stew, you can make yourself the tea. Try not to light yourself on fire this time…”


"Speech"

The dry cloth against her sensitive leg had her turning away from his work. Biting her lip to keep her from wincing in pain. Her face accidentally was pressed gently against his neck, where she could inhale his deep musk and the scent of the outside air infused into this fur. She breathed as he started placing the paste over her fur and brought her gaze back down to his paws working the medicine into her fur. As his pad grazed over the wound and her leg a soft electricity would run up through her core under her fur. Steadying her breath against the closeness they shared.

He slowly stopped, his paw feeling her fur as if it was drawing him into a reverie. Her body shook gently with a sudden shiver, the tingling sensation intensifying and urging her heartbeat to ramp up in tempo. She looked up to see if she could catch his eyes, where had he gone? He seemed to return and shook his head before she could. She pulled her lip, how could her body betray her like this? Every master that took her had never done any of this. They had never tended her wounds, or been gentle with her. Or made her body respond to them like this. He bound her leg. It was done. He narrowed his eyes at her last request, which she saw before she shifted her gaze askance. Her throat displayed for him.

She nodded while her eyes were on the fire.
"Thank you, so much Master. Y--es Master. May I humbly request simple assistance with the water?" She asked quickly, "I seem... to have lost my strength." She whispered shamefully as she bowed low to him, her eyes closed so she couldn't flinch if he decided to punish her for asking.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

She displayed her throat, and begged for his assistance. So fragile, his little Demelza. So weak. He leaned forward, and lightly nipped her beared throat. His teeth pinched ever so faintly before he released her again. Accepting her submission, her apology. His body thrummed for a moment with the power he held over her, heat pooling in his eyes before he nodded his head. “Yes, so easily lost with you” He said dryly, poking at her weakness with his words before he moved to help her fill the water in the pot over the heat. Moving carefully, since the pot had already heated in the time it took to tend to her wounds.

He collected the diced rabbit chunks, and brought them to a place beside her as well. He thought fondly of the taste of her cooked food as he waited for her to cook.

"Speech"

Her breath subtly shook as she felt his teeth lightly nip her bared throat. A pinch just hairs away from her jugular pulsating at a trembling pace. He pulled away, wafting his scent toward her, she could almost feel the thrum in his veins through the floor. Oppressive, unyielding, and vulgar he loomed over her and reminded her of her weakness and shame. She owed him.

She faced the fire and let her eyes consume the flames, cradling her newly rebandaged arm, tender and weak. Lifting even the spoon was excruciating. Her mouth began to water as he brought the slaughtered rabbit toward her. She grabbed a few seasonings, salt, a bay leaf, oregano, and thyme, adding some of the boneset flowers and thistle stalks to the pot for an extra boost for both their bones. She barely felt his eyes on her.

She let the pot simmer for a moment with the seasonings before dropping in the meat. She wiped a string of drool off her lips as she placed the rabbit chunks within and stirred.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma

Soon, the scent of a proper stew filled the cavern. His Demelza was practically shaking from hunger and fatigue. Despite the long hours she had spent doing nothing but sleeping. She was the embodiment of weakness, the proof that wolves like her should be enslaved. They had no strength to stand on their own. They existed only to be dominated. The weakness he had displayed to her still frustrated him, and he waited impatiently as she added the rabbits and stirred.

His tail lashed slowly behind him, an indication that he was not impressed. It seemed they were both waiting for this stew to be finished, and he wondered if her pitiful strength would give out before she completed it.


"Speech"

She nearly grasped one of the raw chunks and fed herself a bite to steady her paws. Weak that she was, little good it would do her until the stew was ready. She wondered if she eventually make an herbal flatbread for them one day. With the right ingredients of course.

Finally, as the stew cooked the meat through and infused the water with the flavors it was ready to dish out. She grabbed a bowl with faltering toes. Dropping the bowl but rushing to pick it back up and fill it for him.

Her weak limb shook as she presented it to him to take. Then grabbed her own bowl to fill.

"Is this enough Master?" She asked, presenting her bowl to him, filled to the same amount as his.

"speech"

coded by NachoMumma