"I imagine not many would call you that to your face while you flaunt your title and power around, ’god-prince’ Ultyr . However, out here, I'll do whatever I please." Her eye settled on Ultyr's paws as those words dropped in the air. She expected a lot of anger at someone telling the Prince he wasn't in charge of them. but reaction wasn't the same as she would of known from the king. He basically ignored the statement.

"My Kitten, surely you don't think I'd leave you friendless and alone to raise these children, do you?" His nose on her cheek had her closing the eye closest to his massive(to her) nose. The other(her good eye) looking from the side at him, then to the pink dusted self proclaimed prince. "I can't leave you and the little ones by yourselves while I hunt." A blink and another look up to him. Did he mean that? That he did appreciate her servitude and hard work? Did he know she loved him? A deep intake of air as she looked up at his face, right into his eyes. Was he serious about not leaving her?

Then he was speaking to the other again. "No, I suppose not." His voice was louder and seemed she was at least not going to receive his anger for now. She took another steadying breath, sitting up only to lean into his foreleg once more. Damn she wanted to cry again. Why couldn't she go back to happy emotions? "Maybe I like this new title. Demon Prince. She doesn't think I am one. My father though..." His words had her shaking her head. Definitely not a "demon" if there was anything like that in the world. But the mention of his father did make her raise a paw and wrap the appendage around his. No way in hell was she going back to that man. She would sooner find a cliff to throw herself from. "She'd probably call him a monster for sure." And then he was caressing her cheek with his massive paw. She leaned her face into it. He didn't know the half of the monstrosity of that man. Being Ultyr's slave was a walk among the daisies comparatively.

A look to this Ganymede as she clung to Ultyr. Did he expect her to make fast friends with the "Prince"? She couldn't speak. It wasn't like they knew that though. A nod was given to Ultyr though to confirm that yes she indeed would call his father a monster. He'd never been "benevolent" as Ultyr put it, or kind. Her eye was locked on the other though, no recognition but a curiosity was piqued. He wasn't running, and he had plenty of opportunity to right now. Why? His freedom was being whisked away, did he know that?

"Things I Hear"

"Do Not Enter" is written on the doorway Why can't everyone just go away? After a moment he went back to pulling the soaked pelt closer to him before heaving himself up to his feet slowly, stretching every muscle as he tried to remove some of the weariness from his body. Water dripped from his coat as he turned and moved to the opposite shore to settle on, keeping more distance between himself and the other two. It had been a while since he had been home, a while since he had seen Lailah, and if he was honest it felt like a lifetime ago and they were both different now it seemed. There was a need to care for her there, one that tugged at him to comfort another that had suffered for so long with a monster, even if that monster wasn't the cinnamon and pyre-eyed brute who stood before her now. But in some regard, she felt like a stranger now, she felt different to some extent and it felt wrong to approach her as if nothing had changed. ’My Kitten, surely you don't think I'd leave you friendless and alone to raise these children, do you?’ The words caught his attention, ears swiveling to the direction of the others where they were as he smoothed out the pelt on the shoreline rocks to dry just as he was. ’I can't leave you and the little ones by yourselves while I hunt.’ Ganymede couldn't help the snort that left him, slowly flopping down onto the rocks as well to stretch his forelegs out and lay half on his side again. It was an almost relaxed pose, though the young male was alert in his lounging. Wary of another fight with the other but unwilling to run if it came to that. "A title you would like, huh? That eager to be like your father? Look, even searching for a nursemaid for your whelps. I take it you weren't raised by your mother either, or you’d have more manners." Ganymede snarked back from his side of the bank, tail twitching to shake more of the water from it as he finally properly looked back over at the pair with critical eyes. "You can't guilt me into joining you, if that’s your goal. You’ll either have to beg me to join you or kill me, I value my freedom more than others." Walk, "Talk", Think, ’Others Speaking’ Except you, you can stay.

The god-Prince Ultyr flicked his tail, a paw gripping the sand. He had never... had this before. There he was, languid on the other shore, out of reach, full of piss and vinegar, the perfect partner that he had been pining for. He would have to start from square one. He had built a repertoire with his past lover so they felt comfortable with each other. But this one was entirely new, he was not already his.

"I am not my father." He rumbled, attempting to keep a dangerous tone out of his voice. Though his little slave would feel the way his muscles grew taught as she leaned against him, curling around his leg like a snake.

"I am the God-Prince Ultyr and I will not beg. She won't need a nursemaid, though I had hoped you might lead me to your siblings. Alas, you seem as lost as we are, we'll have to continue our search where we last found their scent. I won't bother you any longer." A calculated risk. It took everything in him to turn his back and start to lead his girl away from his prize. He was not his father. His father didn't understand loyalty, didn't understand godhood, and didn't understand how to get his slaves to adore him. Ultyr's collection of slaves had been his most loyal subjects and how he treated them was how his lover had turned into his closest companion.

"A title you would like, huh? That eager to be like your father? Look, even searching for a nursemaid for your whelps. I take it you weren't raised by your mother either, or you’d have more manners." The words had her ears pinning. Her eye shooting to Ultyr with a slight panic to them. Was he going to be angry over the insolence? She wasn't certain she could handle a tantrum right now. She indeed felt how his muscles grew taut under his skin. Her eye dropping to the ground and her own muscles readying themselves to drop to the ground if he became angry enough to show her just how angry he was. "I am not my father." His words had her taking a deep breath. No he wasn't but that didn't mean Lailah wasn't aware she was in a dangerous place over half the time. Her paw moved to smooth the fur on his paw absentmindedly.

"You can't guilt me into joining you, if that’s your goal. You’ll either have to beg me to join you or kill me, I value my freedom more than others." The words shouldn't of shocked her but they did. Her paw paused and she tensed, waiting for him to coil and spring. For him to knock her around, even if on accident. Anger was a powerful emotion and she knew the behemoth over her could wield it the same as his father. Though his words next had her eye looking up to him with shock. "I am the God-Prince Ultyr and I will not beg. She won't need a nursemaid, though I had hoped you might lead me to your siblings. Alas, you seem as lost as we are, we'll have to continue our search where we last found their scent. I won't bother you any longer." His paw was unwrapped as he made to move and she was quick to scrabble to her feet and follow. He had scented others? Was that? She took a good sniff then and then looked down in concentration. Brain working out the similarities.

A moment and her eyes were wide with the revelation of where she had smelled something similar that had puzzled her all the same. It had been on the beach south, very south! She knew where to start! At that she was picking up her pace and moving so she could take the lead, determination in her half blind gaze. There were more and she had been so close before!

"Things I Hear"

"Do Not Enter" is written on the doorway Why can't everyone just go away? "How far are you willing to go to prove you’re not him when you walk with the same swagger and pride? How long will you refuse to bend even a little before you break like a tree in the wake of a hurricane? Fine then, don't beg, ask properly, and assure me my freedom." Ganymede’s voice took on a soft lilt, voice turning from haughty, biting tones to as soft as silk and warm as velvety fur. Like a gentle storyteller instead of someone spitting insults and cruel remarks. How far could he push, would he be able to get Ultyr to make those assurances? Especially given he was looking for the same thing he had been. His family, he missed them with his whole heart, and hunting for them alone in this new place was a daunting task. However, he couldn't do it shackled, not again. And seeing the way the little wisp of grey often cringed in fear or felt the need to hide. There was no true way to know how much of that was caused by Ultyr himself and how much was Aryn’s doing, it wasn't a risk he would take. Though he made no move to stand up, he had leaned forward some to watch their forms start to move away, curious of if they would stop at what he had said. Walk, "Talk", Think, ’Others Speaking’ Except you, you can stay.

His girl was already moving in the direction he was heading when the lad behind them made some of his own demands.

"Kitten." He called her back to him. He stood squarely, his chin tucked, a fire in his eyes as he felt the end of his patience from the insolence. They did not have the relationship he had garnered with his previous lover and this one was full of jabs and bites, less playful erotic banter than he had hoped for. His girl might be seeing the rage that was attempting to boil over. Possibly making her hesitate. A muscle twitched in his cheek as he clenched his jaw.

"Sit there, girl, and close your eyes." He growled at her and turned back to the brat that goads him. A flare of anger lit in his eyes as he stormed back to the shore, to the exhausted boy playing with his kill.

He strode with the purpose of maiming the boy, to lock him in and hold him hostage. A snarl rolled from his throat as he charged at the svelt youth. Just as he came within striking distance, his mouth salivating and agape a flash of something else in his eyes washed over his ember gaze and he stepped back. Away from Ganymede. His teeth clicked together as he snapped his mouth closed.

He promised...

He narrowed his eyes at the pretty boy.
"I am. not. my. father. Compare me again, and you'll be the tree in that hurricane." He would not elaborate. He had only kept himself so much in check without his angel already; he didn't know how much longer he could go without him before becoming that balesome wind.

He looked back to his girl, then back to Ganymede. His muscles taut, his chin set, and his claws gripped the sand. Asking was still beyond him at present. He had never asked, he was a god, a god does not ask, nor does a prince, nor does a king. But...

"Come if you want, boy, leave if you want. Though, I am sure she'd like the familiar company." That was his assurance. He wanted the boy for himself yes but if he had to twist it into wanting the boy for his girl fine. Surely they recognized each other, surely the boy didn't want to leave his kitten alone with this monster for long. And surely the acknowledgment of his preferred gender earned him some worth when the rest of Archnemes would have called Ganymede many other things instead.

"How far are you willing to go to prove you’re not him when you walk with the same swagger and pride? How long will you refuse to bend even a little before you break like a tree in the wake of a hurricane? Fine then, don't beg, ask properly, and assure me my freedom." Her ears turned back towards the voice. Part of her hoped Ultyr would ignore the other. She didn't want his anger to rile again. "Kitten." Her hope dashed in that one word. Her eye turned back to him and she moved with her chin tucking and eye watching him . He was a ticking time bomb in the moment. She did hesitate but only for a moment. His patience was already thin. Her form moved, but not to him, not this time. He might of called for her but his anger was there, visible on him and she wanted enough room between them to dodge if those jaws turned on her.

"Sit there, girl, and close your eyes." His growl had her ears flattening and her rump meeting the ground instinctively to follow orders at this point. Her eye was looking up at Ultyr with a silent plea. She wanted him to ignore it, drop it and just leave. But the moment he was moving she turned that eye from him and shut it. A trail of tears falling from her eyes. Where was her kind and merciful prince who thought he was a god? Her ears pressed. The sound of his heave paws and deep snarl had her trembling. But where was the yelp? Where was the pain she knew the behemoth of a man could inflict?

A click of teeth was the answer. "I am. not. my. father. Compare me again, and you'll be the tree in that hurricane." If she could of she would of whined. She lowered herself with her eyes still closed, form trembling. Disappointment in him less now but she could hear his anger, could taste the tension in the air. Her eye opened again as he looked back at her. A silent plea at the stranger to just shut their damn mouth. No more anger. She wasn't sure he would let it go. "Come if you want, boy, leave if you want. Though, I am sure she'd like the familiar company." Her eye then cut to Ultyr. She wasn't sure that was a good idea. The other seemed intent on causing Ultyr to become angry and she didn't even know them. Their scent was familiar but that was it.

"Things I Hear"

"Do Not Enter" is written on the doorway Why can't everyone just go away? A mistake, a clear mistake in the way the other had stopped and said something to his own traveling ‘partner’, Ganymede didn't like the way the word slave fit when trying to describe someone he knew even if it was the truth of the matter. Sometimes he wish he knew when to shut his mouth and not push others too far, a flaw surely because this wasnt the first time he had sparked someones ire. And to push at the demon prince? At somepoint ill learn to think before i speak. He thought to himself, ears pressing forward as he focused solely on Ultyr as he left Lailah where he had stopped her and turned. His own anger had long since left him, leaving behind exhaustion and now fear that struck through him to his core. He didn't have the energy to run as he watched the other storm towards him, the sound of paws heavy on the ground like the beat of a war drum. Struggling up, the slimmer youth bared his own teeth a little though not in the same vicious, enraged way from the early fight. It was the forced snarl of another doing their best to be brave against a dangerous opponent. His fur slowly raising to stand on end as he saw those teeth flashing, shining and poised to tear or rip at him. His mind was racing, thinking of all the ways he could've escaped well before this had he just kept his mouth shut for once. But the clip of teeth snapped him from those frantic thoughts, lily pale eyes focusing on the towering form of the other quickly. Luck liked him too much it seemed, but he wouldnt be pressing to see how much she happened to like him. Not after this last close call. It's the words that reach his ears, something there that wasnt his to pick at, a wound between Ultyr and his father and it was noticable. Wasnt any more his to press then his traumas were for the others. Lesson taught loud and clear, for the moment. ’Come if you want, boy, leave if you want. Though, I am sure she'd like the familiar company.’ That felt as close as he was going to get to an assurance of his own freedom, offering both a reason to travel with them and the ability to leave if it suited him. It didn't stop the wary glare he gave the other as he reached down and scooped up the pelt from the rocks to toss across his shoulders again. Silently he stalked passed Ultyr, moving towards the silently cowering form of the petite, grey girl. His choice was clear at least, he was going with them, determined to find his siblings in this strange land. Better the devil you know then the devil you dont after all. Walk, "Talk", Think, ’Others Speaking’ Except you, you can stay.

The fear was palpable, the tension thicker than the fog hanging over the forest and lake. The silence was broken only by the sound of the waterfall echoing against the cliffs behind it.

Ultyr watched with barely concealed contempt as the slender storm shine boy picked up the skin of his last master and walked toward his Kitten, his only name for her at the moment. His answer was clear enough to them all that he was coming with.

For a moment he held back his surprised expression. He was almost unsure to trust it. This had been what he had wanted... and he didn't need to lay a claw on the boy at all. Was this what his Angel had been trying to tell him all along?

Outwardly, he was stone faced as he nodded and walked back to the girl.

"I'll let you both get re-acquainted while I get her a meal." He turned to Lailah, "We'll head back south after a hunt and a rest, stay here." He said, a normal conversation and command for them. Something he knew she would follow. This time she could at least make or remake a friend.

He took a moment to settle on a direction for prey, and one look back at them told him they wouldn't be going anywhere. Ganymede needed a rest as much as Lailah did.

-exit Ultyr for now-

The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. Her eye went back and forth between the two. One of them definitely needed to give, or there would be no relief of that tension. Thankfully one of them did give. It was the smaller male who moved in her direction first. Both of them had too much pride to let it end at that she felt though. That button was well pressed on Ultyr for now though.

"I'll let you both get re-acquainted while I get her a meal." The words brought her back to Ultyr's face. He wasn't as angry now. But his eyes were still stone cold. A sigh of a breath passed her lips, as she figured another trip to the hot springs would be in order. At least there he would be able to relax and the tension might leave. She really didn't want that anger to stick. "We'll head back south after a hunt and a rest, stay here." A nod. She was aware of the order and took the opportunity to move, so she could lay against the earlier tree. Her satchel was then opened after she took a moment to get comfortable. Book and charcoal pulled from inside as she opened it to a new page. She was sure she wouldn't get to draw much but she could definitely try while answering questions on the opposite page in the only way she could. A look at the other, filled with wariness and uncertainty, before she was patting the ground next to her gravid form.

Charcoal then was gripped and her eye cast to the waterfall. A pretty enough place to sketch that was for certain. Her ear was kept towards Ganymede as she waited for questions that she wasn't sure she wanted.

"Things I Hear"

"Do Not Enter" is written on the doorway Why can't everyone just go away? ’ I'll let you both get re-acquainted while I get her a meal.’ The words got an affirmative hum from Ganymede, at least wanting to acknowledge the other though he didn't trust himself currently to not say something biting and snippish at the other. The fear was still there under the surface and he wasn't sure how to handle it yet. "I suppose food would be good for you, huh?" Ganymede mused quietly as he looked to Lailah once the other order had been spoken to her. Get re-acquainted with her, just ask some questions and do your best to not be awkward. It shouldn't be that hard, I got this. He did not have this, there was something nerve-wracking about the idea of approaching the smaller woman too closely even after Ultyr had vanished and she seemed content on settling with the supplies from her bag. So instead he decided to make himself busy with a different task for the moment. "I won't be far off, Lailah, if you need something I shouldn't be hard to find. Need something for all my aches and pains, ya know?" He said it lightly, gently almost, keeping his tone friendly as he pulled the pelt off his shoulders again to set it nearby before moving off to the more overgrown edge of the forest with a flick of his striped tail. The plant he was looking for was akin to a dandelion with its brilliant yellow petals and center, leaves, and stem a beautiful green. He knew it should grow alongside the rocky shoreline, but it wasn't easy to find even here. Lots of slow scanning and picking his way along the stones finally revealed the little hidden treasures he was looking for after a while and he went trotting back to where he had left Lai last. Settling on the pelt on the ground, he dropped the flowers down and grabbed up one of the smooth river stones to sit and grind the flowers against another stone. Just working away to make a fine paste, or attempt to. It would have to do for the moment, he didn't have everything here as he did back home, and as he scooped up some of the smashed paste to work into his bruises and aches, he peered over at what the mist and smoke girl was doing. "That's lovely so far." Walk, "Talk", Think, ’Others Speaking’ Except you, you can stay.

"I suppose food would be good for you, huh?"the words were answered not verbally but it seemed her stomach decided to let its hunger be known. A blush colored her cheeks and she nodded about that. Guess it had been some time since Ultyr had hunted huh? That there were now three of them and however many grew in her womb would mean Ultyr would ultimately be hunting more she guessed. She watched as the other started walking away with a sigh. Only for that sigh to turn into shock from the next words she head.

"I won't be far off, Lailah, if you need something I shouldn't be hard to find. Need something for all my aches and pains, ya know?" Her eyes widened at the way her name was spilled easily from charcoal lips. No one had said it for so long now. She'd always been some nickname ever since Archnemes had stolen everything from her. A minx, a flower, a kitten. But none cared to know her name, had ever asked or tried to learn it. She blinked though. She wouldn't get answers until the man returned.

So she settled into the silence, using her charcoal to sketch and rough shade the falls. She'd always had a taste for the arts, though now she preferred quiet arts and hated to hear singing. She'd once sang beautifully. Her eye was glancing between her book and the falls as she worked the charcoal on the paper.

When he finally returned she was almost done with the rough sketch and she stayed on her task. The scent of the plant he used st least wasn't atrocious. She'd hate to have to go get sick somewhere. Only once he seemed ready to talk did she turn her blue eye to him. "That's lovely so far." A nod of thanks she gave to him. She had been slowly drawing the landscapes she passed in her book when she got the chance.

Her paw with the charcoalmoved then to the other page. Words she wrote there, her way of speaking when it wasn't a simple yes or no. How do you know my name? the biggest question for Ganymede now in text for him and she indicated to ut so the other might understand.

"Hear"

coded by NachoMumma

"Do Not Enter" is written on the doorway Why can't everyone just go away? The silence felt a bit like a balm to his mind, he didn't mind it at all after everything that had happened today. Soothing and keeping himself even and stable despite the chaos. It worked on his nerves too if he was honest, the smell of arnica, the sound of the falls, and the rocks under the pelt all worked to ground him at this moment. Leaning closer, he let his shoulder touch the smokey side of the smaller wolf so he could better see what she was working on writing on the opposite page. Glancing up when that sole sky blue eye moved to look at him, before turning his purple gaze back to the page curiously to read the words there. Surprise surged through him as he furrowed his brows, unable to help himself, and he voiced the next words that came to his head. "You dont remember me? We used to have lessons together before…" The lump that worked its way up into his throat had him stopping though, unable to bring up what had happened that awful day. Instead, he worked his jaws back and forth a bit as he smoothed one of his paws over the fur pelt underneath him, toes curling to hook in the skin, almost as if getting payback for a second before continuing. "Before everything happened. It would be strange if I didn't know your name." The work it took to keep his voice even was a struggle. Did she not remember him, what else was missing from her mind if that was the case? Did she remember any of them? Maybe it was just him, maybe she just didn't remember him. He could live with that if it was the case, he was always the forgettable one, after all. A wallflower and that was fine, he was used to being overlooked just a bit. But what about the others…He didn't have the heart to ask. So instead he just sat with his shoulder touching her side, working nails through the pelt underneath him in contempt to soothe his anxieties away as he stared towards the falls. Finding his voice again he figured it was his turn to ask a question since she asked one of him. "How did you come into Ultyr’s ’care’? I heard the order in his voice, is he keeping you as a slave?" He phrased it as carefully as he could, not wanting to cause any offense if there were feelings or if it was a different situation. Not when scent and sight both told him that it was likely Lailah was carrying a litter. Walk, "Talk", Think, ’Others Speaking’ Except you, you can stay.

Her eye went from the words on the page to his face. She wanted to know, badly. She hadn't even been asked her name and frankly almost had forgotten how it sounded on someone's lips. "You dont remember me? We used to have lessons together before…" a blink. No she didn't remember him. Was he there before? A furrowed of her own brow as she narrowed her eyes trying to remember him. Focused so hard on it a throb came to her head. What had been her teacher's names? Was he one of them? No he couldn't be, he looked barely able to be an adult. A teacher would of been older. Her ears pressed towards him as he continued his words. "Before everything happened. It would be strange if I didn't know your name." would it? Wasnt she just a nobody? Isn't that why she was considered trash? Wasn't that why no one had come to save her? Finally a shake of her head and a softening of her features as her head started throbbing. She couldn't remember. She barely remembered alot. A press of her ears and a roll of a tear down her scarred cheek.

It had been so long. Had he been dear to her? Was he a past lover? A friend? If he had been then she definitely felt bad that she couldn't remember. A turn of her face to watch the waterfall as he leaned into her. She must of been a dear friend to him for him to feel so comfortable and relaxed enough to touch her.

A look down as he asked his questions. "How did you come into Ultyr’s ’care’? I heard the order in his voice, is he keeping you as a slave?" How did she tell him? She guessed it was best to just tell him. Her paw moved and she scrawled the answer for him below her first line of writing. His father kept me as his cum bucket and punching bag. When my usefulness wore out I was thrown away, trashed. Ultyr pulled me from the trash to track his lost love. My purpose is to serve him as he sees fit now, so yes I'm his slave. But I care for him in ways a slave shouldn't. He can be sweet and caring, he just has a temper sometimes.... he's kept me fed and ensured me pleasure when he needs someone to bed unlike his father. her ears pressed and she turned her face to his as shame of her feelings colored her cheeks. He probably didn't want to know about her feelings. As well that a slave shouldn't love their master right? But she did....

It was her turn then to ask a question. She had so many holes and gaps in her memory, and placing him should be a priority. Or at least she expected it to be. Were we close? Was I a good friend to you then? The words were wrote and she expected to be scoffed at. Slaves shouldn't concern themselves with friends right? Was this all for naught?

"Hear"

coded by NachoMumma