In his efforts to get to know the wolves that Indigo kept around him, he had been spending some time traveling with Duchess and once they returned from another one of their trips he set his sights on Emersyn. He had noticed how the stoic woman had kept mostly to the courtyard or guarding Indigo ever since she arrived so he approached her determinedly, convincing her to leave the castle if for just a moment. "We won't go far," he promised, giving her an encouraging grin. "I just want to go out to the plains and gather some dandelion."

He led the way out into the Starlit Plains, occasionally glancing back at the larger woman curiously. All of his sisters had been around his size or smaller and that had held true with Duchess and Gypsy as well. Emersyn seemed to be an exception to that rule and it caught his attention if nothing else. "Here we are!" he said with a wag of his tail as they reached the stream that passed through he open, grassy plain. "You should really come back out here at night. The stars are gorgeous out here. I guess that's why they call it The Starlit Plains, huh?" was he purposefully trying to make conversation? Yes. Was he successful? He wasn't sure yet.

Segin Epsilon

Indigo's injuries had surpassed the worst of the road to recovery, and although the dire wolf was still on bedrest for the foreseeable future, at least now Emersyn could relax knowing she hadn't killed the giant teddy bear of a man. She no longer felt compelled to stand guard right beside his bed, allowing herself more freedom to roam the castle grounds and look after herself. She still kept to herself, quiet and reserved to the sidelines while the others in Indy's band interacted like the happy little misfit family they were. She didn't want to get in the way of that, so she'd just excuse herself to go walk the courtyard by herself. What was the point of getting close to these other wolves if she was only planning on leaving again anyway? If she didn't make any attempts to befriend them, then it would make it easier to leave when the time came, right?

That's why it had come as such a surprise to her when the small brute (Segin was his name?) approached her and asked if she would accompany him to go pick some herbs. Well, okay, his request was more like him telling her he was going to do this and asking her to come with him. Em had tried to turn him down politely, but the smaller wolf was persistent. What finally convinced her to go was the dread of what might happen if Segin went beyond the castle walls and one of the bounty hunters looking for her was waiting out there. The petite brute wouldn't stand a chance against them.

And so, begrudgingly, she followed him out into the plains surrounding the castle. Outside the walls, Em already felt much more vulnerable, especially since she couldn't really run. Walking was no longer a problem on her injured paw, but she didn't want to push her luck. Segin promised they were only going to gather some dandelion and wouldn't take long. As they walked, Em would catch Segin looking back at her with a curious look. She raised her own brow at the purple-furred male. Was there something unusual about her? Was he considering if she would be a danger to him? He just seemed so gods damn happy-go-lucky with the way he practically pranced through the fields, tail wagging like an eager puppy. She had to admit it was a bit endearing, especially since she hadn't felt that sort of joy in a long, long time. Emersyn was mostly quiet while she followed behind Segin, keeping a watchful eye out for any signs of threats to them. Just because she was wounded didn't mean she was incapacitated.

"I'll take your word for it," she remarked plainly. Segin surely meant well, but Emersyn knew that being outside and exposed, especially at night, was just asking for trouble. "Being outside at night hasn't exactly been the safest choice for me lately." Would she like to see the stars? Probably. When she had been much younger she had loved the nighttime sky. That love had since been tarnished, stained and marred by the bastard that had ruined her life. "What do you need dandelions for?" she asked after a moment, returning his efforts at small talk as best she could. Conversation was also not something she was used to doing on a regular basis. Usually her downtime had been filled with training or waiting in a single occupant cell or cage.

"Emersyn"

Segin gave an understanding nod to Emersyn's reservations about being here at night. He understood what it was like to constantly be on guard, but his threat had gone away when he killed his father. He didn't necessarily have anything to fear besides the usual larger predators and up until recently he hadn't even cared about them. At one point not all that long ago he probably wouldn't have resisted if they had tried to attack him and would have willingly been killed. Now though, he had wolves that seemed to care about him and a reason to take care of himself. He knew that Indigo at least would be upset if anything happened to him so that was reason enough to eat well and work on himself and stay safe. He wouldn't argue the point with the latest addition to what he saw as their family, but he did silently hope that she relaxed some as time went on.

His ears perked when she asked about the dandelions he had come out here for, smiling as he explained, "Oh, they're a really good general herb for healing. If you mush them up you can put them on a cut or a bruise to help with the inflammation. It's pretty good for joint pain too. Or you can just eat them if you're having any digestive issues or need to up your appetite for some reason." It was one of the herbs he was most familiar with and was confident in explaining so he didn't mind giving Emersyn a brief lesson on the plant. "They're really common so it's an easy one to find, but it takes a little bit of time to collect because the roots are really the best part to use so I have to dig them up and wash off the roots."

He started working his way through the plains along the stream, pausing occasionally to dig up a dandelion that he came across and slipping them into he pack on his back. He never went far from her, but he kind of got the sense that she wouldn't really leave him alone out here either. "So... you're a fighter, huh?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at her curiously as he worked. "I'm glad Indigo found someone that can help with protecting," he added genuinely, pausing in the middle digging up another dandelion with a slightly guilty flick of his ears. "I kind of feel bad not knowing how to fight or really having the build for it. Indigo is a way better healer than I am too so... I'm still figuring out what I can do to help the band out more, you know? Indigo helped me a lot so I wanna pay him back." Pulling a grin across his features he looked up at Emersyn happily. "But now you're with us so we have another fighter!"

Segin Epsilon

While they walked together, Segin pausing every now and then to uproot a flower while Emersyn hung along the bank, the purple male began to explain what he wanted the dandelions for. It made sense, given he was a healer—hell, everyone in this pack seemed to be a healer—and would make the most use out of what she would have just called a weed. She knew the treatments for Indigo had taken a lot of supplies and medicine to complete, so restocking their stores of herbs seemed like the logical choice. He was just so damn happy about going flower picking, it was enough to make Em shoot a bewildered look his way when his back was turned. All the brutes she'd ever known had been the macho burly types that lived only to fight and fuck, but Segin was... something entirely different. She didn't exactly know how to treat him or handle his exorbitant enthusiasm for life. How did he just always seem so damn happy?

There was a long silence between them while Segin picked his dandelions, Em taking the time to survey the plains and trees around them, the warm summer sun beating down on them. There were no other wolves around, but that didn't mean she could let her guard down. Doing so would mean she was vulnerable, and if she was vulnerable she could be attacked again... or worse... She swallowed back bile rising in her throat as she forced the memories back into the dark box they had been stuffed into. Segin was talking again, and Em realized she hadn't been paying attention to her companion. "Yeah, you could say that," she replied when he asked if she was a fighter, then just let him run on. A curious brow raised to his admission of feeling guilt over not helping out the band, as he called it. So that's what the motley crew was going by... Emersyn smirked; it was fitting. A purple band of four nomads.

Segin grinned back at her and happily decreed that she was the second fighter in their group, and Em froze on the spot, fixing him with conflicted and pained eyes. She wanted to tell him that she wasn't part of their band. That she didn't fit in with them and that she would just be a danger to them all. She was still planning on leaving on her own as soon as her paw was mended, but she hadn't told anyone but Indy that. A lump formed in her throat that she couldn't quite swallow past, unable to agree with him but likewise unable to ruin his mood. She forced a little smile and gave a weak nod of her head, hoping he would let the topic drop. She couldn't be part of them. She'd get them all killed.

"You don't need to feel bad, y'know. I've seen the way Indigo smiles when you're around. You're contributing in your own way," she said after taking a moment to collect her thoughts. "Sometimes the things you contribute aren't physical, and they're just as valuable as goods and supplies." It was weak advice at best, and she knew it. She was the least qualified wolf to give talks on emotional support and stability when she hadn't had that for over three quarters of her existence. But something about Segin's personality just made her want to protect him, shield that happiness from the world that might try to take it away.

"Emersyn"

Segin noticed how when he declared that they had another fighter to be part of their band her expression changed, showing some sort of conflict and discomfort in her two-toned gaze. His grin faltered a bit and his head tipped with a questioning glance. Wasn't she staying with them? Maybe he just assumed so since all the other wolves Indigo had brought home were now a part of their growing band, but was that not the case? His ears flicked uncertainly and he glanced down with a bit of disappointment at the dandelion he was digging up while she spoke, telling him that his contributions didn't have to be physical and that she had seen how much he could make Indigo smile. A smile pulled at his lips at that with a quiet nod. It's more or less what Indigo had told him as well. Just him being happy made the larger man happy and he certainly did his best to at least keep a bright outlook for them all, but he still wished he could do more.

Still thinking about Emersyn's reaction to the idea that she'd stay with them, he frowned a little before bringing his silver gaze back up to hers. "Do you... not want to stay with us then?" he questioned as he turned to face her, his ears against his head. "It's... just that Indigo hasn't really found anyone else that is a strong fighter and I don't want him to have to do all the fighting all the time so... I know we'd be really grateful if you stayed," he insisted, pulling a hopeful smile onto his lips. He knew he couldn't make her stay, but knowing that there could be someone else there to help with protecting and fighting made him feel better and less afraid that Indigo might get hurt really badly again. He wasn't sure if he could take losing Indigo.

"It's okay if you really don't want to. I'm sure you have other plans or something like that," he added after a moment, glancing away toward the ground again. Just because he literally had nothing else didn't mean she didn't have other things in her life. It was presumptuous of him to think that she could drop everything to join their little band and he felt a little guilty for thinking so.

Segin Epsilon

Em saw Segin's good mood visibly deflate when she didn't respond in the affirmative right away. Shit, he had seen through her forced amicability. Watching his grin slip from his face as a glum expression replaced his bright demeanor actually hurt Em in a way she hadn't been expecting. He looked up at her with big, sad silver eyes while he asked if she didn't want to stay with them. Her mouth opened on instinctive reaction to answer when spoken to, but no words came out. What was she even supposed to say? Sure, I'd love to stay, but the murderous slaves and their insane master would absolutely tear you to shreds if I stay! She was desperately searching for a way to gently turn this sweet gentle wolf down in the nicest way possible when he went and twisted the knife even harder in her gut by looking away like a scolded puppy and half-heartedly stating that it was fine if she didn't stay with them. Oh, that was so not fair!

"Segin..." she began, trying to find the words as she went along. "It's... not that simple." Emersyn looked away, maybe ashamed, or maybe she just couldn't stand to keep looking at those heartbroken puppy dog eyes. Heaving a sigh, Em stepped closer to the edge of the water and sat down with her paws in the shallow cool water. "There's a lot of bad wolves after me. They're violent and ruthless, and if I stay with you, I put you all in danger. It wouldn't be fair to you."

She stared down at her reflection in the rippling water, trying to ignore the flashbacks of the last time she'd seen her reflection, beaten and bruised and bloody after the assault before the tournament. Her stomach churned and heaved at the memories that haunted her, and it took all of Em's strength to not be sick when she saw herself. "It's not that I don't want to stay with you. If I do, I'd knowingly be risking your lives, just so I could pretend I actually have somewhere I belong..." Em's ears flattened to her head, duo-toned eyes darkening as that crushing sense of loneliness she was intimately familiar with gripped her heart. She hadn't belonged anywhere... Not with her family, not with the slaves, not with this kind band of strangers...

"Emersyn"

Segin peeked up at Emersyn when she began to speak, giving her a slightly confused glance as she walked over to the edge of the water and sat there looking at her reflection. He didn't immediately understand how it couldn't be as simple as a yes or no to staying with their band, but as she spoke of the wolves that were after her and how dangerous they were he understood, the realization dawning on his expression. He understood not wanting to put them in danger by being with them, but he had the opposite reaction from what she seemed to be feeling. He wanted to pull her in, keep her closer so they could help protect her too. Worry pulled his brows together and he couldn't imagine letting her go back out into the world by herself knowing that these dangerous wolves wanted to hurt her. He knew he'd constantly be worrying about her after she left them so he just couldn't let that happen.

He padded over to her after a moment, tipping his muzzle up to press his nose to her cheek and giving her an encouraging smile when he pulled back again. "But you do have somewhere to belong. You belong with us. You're just going to leave and let me worry about you all the time? No, you need to stay with us so we can all look out for one another." He said that with a finality that said he wouldn't hear anything different. Emersyn was part of their family and that was that. He sat down beside her and leaned his side into hers, not really considering if she would want to be touched or not. He just knew that being with someone and feeling a little bit of support and affection often did wonders for himself so he hoped that he could do the same for Emersyn.

"None of us had anywhere to belong before we came together," he told her honestly, lifting his head to look up at her. "But we made our own little family together and now you're part of it too." He chuckled softly and wrapped a paw around her upper foreleg and leaned his head into her shoulder, the brightness returning to his expression. "Plus, I mean... technically I have killed someone before so maybe I can protect you!" he insisted with a grin, laughing lightly. He knew someone with his stature and lack of any real fighting skills surely wouldn't stand a chance against anyone that was a threat to someone like Emersyn, but he just wanted something to get her mind off of her own thoughts and if a comment like that wouldn't do it then he didn't know what would.

Segin Epsilon

Em had been so lost in her own dark thoughts and self-loathing that she hadn't noticed Segin coming up beside her until she felt the cold, wet pad of his nose press to her cheek. Her eyes blinked rapidly in surprise, duo-toned irises turning to find his smiling face. How was he always so gods damned happy?! What did he have to be happy about? She envied the smaller brute, wondering if she would ever know such unburdened glee the way he seemed to reside in a permanent state of. He attempted to convince her to stay, that she belonged with them, then added in a sprinkle of guilt by claiming he'd worry about her forever if she left on her own. Oh, so he was playing dirty now to try and persuade her into joining the purple harem? His words were said with such resolution and adamantly that it left no room for Em to rebuke him. Segin had decided she was staying, and there seemed to be no way to change his mind.

Segin surprised her further by sitting alongside her, then she felt the weight of his smaller frame resting against hers. An anxiousness crept up inside her for a brief moment, the instinctive reaction to being touched by a brute again. Except Segin wasn't like the other brutes. He was small and dainty, unlike the monsters she had known. He looked like a strong wind could blow him over and was absolutely zero threat to her in any way. With that realization, Emersyn's shoulders which had tensed up on reflex began to relax again, her bristling fur smoothing back down. She swallowed back the nerves, and then things went back to normal. Segin was not a threat; he couldn't harm her if he tried.

Segin began to explain how the band had come to exist, how they had all been wayward vagabonds that came together to make their own family, and that like it or not she was a part of the family now too. His paw wound around her foreleg, and Em glanced down at where he was touching and holding onto her. He was a very physically affectionate wolf, it seemed. But shockingly, she didn't feel the disgust that had come whenever any other male touched her. Segin was... different. Different was good. Different didn't put her on edge or make her relive the terror and trauma again.  But what stunned her the most was Segin's confession that he had killed someone before. Em looked at him with skeptical scrutiny, raising a brow as she eyed the lithe man up and down. He had killed someone?

"You've killed another wolf?" she voiced her dubiousness out loud. "Well damn, you're a hell of a better fighter than Duchess is, at least. Maybe you actually can protect me." She shot him a teasing grin in return, though she knew if Segin ever did go toe to toe with one of the wolves after him, they'd be picking up pieces of his corpse from the next terrain over. No, he might not be able to protect her—but Emersyn could definitely protect him. The sweet, happy boy needed to be shielded from the viciousness of this shit world. And if she was going to be forced into this family, then she might as well make use of the talents she'd been forced to acquire.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice, huh? You're just gonna keep giving me big silver puppy dog eyes until I agree, aren't you?" The question was rhetorical, but she eyed the smaller brute all the same. He was cute and sweet and meant well. The larger fae rolled her eyes and sighed. "All right, Segin, you got me. I'll stay and be a part of your family. I can't guarantee you'll like me, but I'll stick around as long as you want me to." After she conceded to his demands, Em gave him a few moments to celebrate his victory, then continued, "So I guess as long as I'm staying, might as well get to know each other, huh? So I have to ask, how did you end up in Indigo's purple wolf club?" It was a question she had asked Duchess as well, wondering how such similar yet vastly different wolves all ended up together.

"Emersyn"

He grinned at the skepticism in her voice at the fact he had offered her about his past, knowing how unbelievable it was. He knew he'd probably never be able to - or would even want - to do something like that again, but it was indeed true all the same. No one would be able to guess that he had done such a thing and he wanted it to stay that way. He never wanted to come close to the murderous wolf that his father had been. Becoming like him was perhaps Segin's biggest fear so he had steered clear of anything even remotely close to killing or fighting, instead gravitating toward things like healing and exploration. He laughed again when she joked that he was a better fighter than Duchess and that perhaps he could protect her, making him give her leg an affectionate squeeze.

At her questioning statement about not having a choice and him continue to give her puppy eyes till she caved, he just grinned and looked up at her with hopeful eyes as if to emphasize that point. His grin widened and his tail wagged when she gave in, agreeing that she would stay with him and their family that they had built, his chest swelling with happiness that he had gotten her onto their side. "You won't regret it, I swear!" he assured her with a giggle, leaning his head into her shoulder. Now that he had experienced this joy of getting to build a family from the ground up with wolves he genuinely enjoyed being around he just couldn't stop. He wanted more and more wolves to be a part of their special family where they could feel safe here the way he did. He knew it would only get better once they broke away and went out on their own with Indigo, getting to explore and see more of the world with him.

His ears perked when she questioned him on how he ended up with Indigo, keeping his head leaned into her shoulder as he spoke with his silver gaze looking out across the plains in front of them. "Ah, well... My family all left me. All I had ever really known was taking care of my sisters so once they were gone I didn't really know what to do with myself. I started running away from it and I let myself get in really bad shape. I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't run into Indigo when I had I probably would have died from starvation or from getting myself involved with someone dangerous." He had hopped from one wolf to another, whoever had wanted to take him and make him forget his situation for even a moment. He knew that not all of them had good intentions for him and he was probably very lucky that he had even gotten as far as he had. "I stumbled into Indigo when I went into a cave to hide from a storm. We got to talking and I told him my story and he ended up inviting me back here to live with him."

Segin Epsilon

As she had expected, the little violet and black wolf practically exploded in joy when she agreed to stay with them. It was impossible to not smile around him, especially when he was squeezing her forelegs and nudging his head into her shoulder. He was just so sweet and kind, she probably should have been annoyed by him, but she couldn't feel any sort of negativity toward him. Segin promised she wouldn't regret her choice to stay with them, and Emersyn gave a soft laugh and replied with, "I'm going to hold you to that, Segin. You'll be personally responsible for making sure I'm happy then." She was teasing him of course, and she made it known by lifting a paw and giving him a playful nudge to the side to try and tickle him. Play wasn't something Em had in a long, long time, getting to just relax and unwind and be silly felt... liberating.

Segin immediately launched into an answer to her question, detailing his life in short snippets to her, starting with how his family had left him She frowned a little as she considered that. They just... left him?! How did an entire family just leave one of theirs behind? Ah, but wasn't that more or less what her family had done to her and her siblings in a sense? Given her away and never looked back? She nodded her head slowly when Segin mentioned Indigo saving him from winding up subjecting himself to someone worse. Segin was such a sweet guy, submissive and dainty. She could see why that would be a concern for him, especially as a male who enjoyed the company of other men as opposed to women.

While Segin told his story, Em began to subconsciously bring her tail around to curl around Segin, her head tilting to rest her cheek against his forehead in a protective fashion. She was guarding him, shielding him with her body on instinct. All she had ever known was fighting and killing, getting to use her skills to protect and defend felt like a breath of fresh air to the cold-blooded slaughter she had lived. "Well, I'm glad Indigo found you when he did," she said with a gentle sigh. "I don't think anyone else would have been as tenacious as you to get me to stay. Well done, Segin, you did the impossible." She snickered to herself and just let her gaze stare off into space while she took in and enjoyed the comfort the smaller brute offered her.

"Emersyn"

It really surprised him the turn that he had gotten Emersyn to take. He thought about how she had been when he approached her in the courtyard, guarded and resistant to even spending time with him out here at all, to this. Poking at his side, smiling, listening to his story attentively, curling around him and pulling him closer. It was such a complete flip from how she had first been and it made him so, so happy. He could kind of understand now why Indigo had been so insistent on telling him how just seeing him smile was repayment enough for everything he had done for him. Seeing Emersyn relax and smile was one of the most satisfying things he had ever experienced. This must be why Indigo loved bringing in wolves that needed his help to live with him so much.

He chuckled when she mentioned how he had done the impossible in getting her to stay. It really hadn’t even taken that much and really he knew she just needed a little love. Just like him. Just like them all. Just a little love and a little proof that someone was there for them. ”I’m glad Indigo found you too,” he agreed, nuzzling into her neck affectionately. ”Everyone deserves to feel like they belong somewhere or with someone so… even if you just feel like you belong with me then I’m happy to be that for you. I’m really glad you’re staying.” He smiled and let his eyes close for a moment as he just enjoyed snuggling into her for a long moment. It was just peaceful and lovely out here and nothing made him quite as content as he felt when he was close like this with someone he liked.

He got to thinking as they sat there, questions forming in his mind. He almost hated to disturb the calm quiet that had settled over them with just the sound of the river to break it, but he thought about how he and Indigo had shared their pasts and their secrets and how much closer they had grown because of it. He knew from experience how therapeutic it could be to just release all of that into the world. ”Why are those wolves after you?” he asked softly, rubbing the foreleg he was holding onto gently with his paw.

Segin Epsilon

Emersyn listened to the sincerity in Segin's voice when he stated he was glad Indigo found her as well. He nuzzled into her neck, and although a small rise of anxiety made her heart speed up, it quickly passed and settled back to a steady rhythm. She had never let a brute touch her before now, her post-trauma stress and panic attacks preventing her from allowing anyone close to her, but with Segin things were different. She didn't feel the same anxiety having him close to her or touching her. He was so physically affectionate which was strange for her, but it didn't provoke the same volatile reactions others did. It just felt like it was part of him. Maybe because he really was no threat to her in any way, shape, or form. Even if Segin had wanted to do harm to her, she could snap the smaller, submissive male in half with ease. Maybe that was why he could touch her so freely and give her these shows of physical affection without Emersyn snapping at him.

Segin's comment that everyone deserved to feel loved and like they belong with someone drove a dagger through her heart the likes of which he'd never know. Her expression sank a little while she thought back on all the wolves in her life. Her owner, the other fighters, the slaves, the slave traders, her parents... Her own gods damned parents! No one had loved her. They only ever saw her as a burden or a commodity, something to be bought, sold, and used. She hadn't been worthy of love. But Segin, even if for a moment, made her feel like maybe she was. He gave her a smile, and she returned it with a sad one of her own. Did she feel like she belonged with Segin? Right now, yes, yes she did. Sitting beside the river in the warm sunshine with him showing her all the affection she had never had before felt nice...

The two wolves were quiet for some time after that. Then Segin asked the fateful question. Why was she being hunted like a dog. Em's eyes dipped down to look at him entwined around her legs, his paw running soothingly up and down her foreleg. Her heart wrenched and her throat tightened. She had supposed she would have to reveal her past to these wolves if she decided to stay, and since he was asking, there was no way to avoid it now. "I cost a very nasty wolf a lot of money," she explained in the most simple to-the-point terms she could. A heavy sigh passed her lips as she began her story at the beginning. "The long version is that I was sold into slavery by my parents as soon as I turned six months old. Not just me, but my siblings as well. Some were bought by wealthier wolves who wanted servants, one by a wolf who I'm fairly sure was a pedophile. I was bought by a wolf who owned a team of gladiators and pit fighters because I was the biggest of the bunch. His name is Matalar."

She swallowed hard and tried to keep her eyes focused on the flowing water, even as she stared through the void into the past through her memories. "I was trained every day after that until I was a year old. He was brutal and callous and nothing was ever good enough. I always had to be faster, stronger, smarter, meaner. The other pit fighters were just as hardened to the world because of him, so here I was, this little puppy given up by her family, all alone in a world that only wanted me to bleed." Em snorted her disgust and shook her head. "When I turned one, I was thrown into my first fight. It was a bloody one-on-one, and I either had to kill or be killed. I still remember feeling that wolf's blood all over me and staring at their body once it was done, and the crowd cheering the entire time. Matalar rewarded me for winning and getting him paid by giving me fresher meat for dinner that night and promised me more rewards the better I did. So I did. It's how I got to be the fighter I am. I got very good at combat. I've killed so many wolves for other wolves' entertainment, all for larger rations, softer beds and fur blankets, better equipment..."

"I quickly became Matalar's favorite fighter. 'His best investment' he called me. Looking back on it, I'm disgusted with myself for what I did..." Emersyn's lips curled up in a silent snarl as she reflected on who she had been. A whore for the entertainment of wolves she'd never meet or see again. How many lives had she cut short simply because it was expected of her? At the time, she hadn't seen anything wrong with it. It had been her way of surviving, the only thing she had in life. "The other fighters hated me for how much Matalar favored me. I didn't know it at the time though. I was the only female fighter, and I just kept to myself and didn't interact with any of the others. Then Matalar signed up for a major tournament, with a huge prize of gems and riches at the end. He signed up a team of six fighters, me and five of the others. We traveled to the coliseum, and on the night before our first fight..." She hesitated, the words catching in her throat and a look of anger and revilement and dread taking over her expression. "...they decided to cut me down to size and force me to fail..."

Emersyn didn't want to look at Segin and see the look in his eyes while she revealed the dark secret she hadn't spoken to anyone about—ever. "They spent almost all night taking turns... I tried to fight, but they beat me bloody and held me down. I begged, I cried, I screamed, but... they just laughed and told me it was what I deserved for being master's whore, that I needed to remember my place as a woman was to be beneath a man..." She spat the word out with such venom and self-loathing for herself. A tremor ran through her body, and no doubt Segin would feel it with how he was pressed against her. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing back the angry tears. "Their plan worked though... When we were brought into the arena the next morning, I wasn't focusing on the fight. All I could think about was what they'd done... Hell, I still fucking smelled like them..." Em opened her eyes again, aqua-cobalt glaring with cold hatred. "What they didn't expect was when I started tearing into them in front of everyone. The other fighters didn't know what to do, the crowd was gasping and screaming as I ripped them apart, limb from limb, eviscerating them til they were unidentifiable as wolves. It felt so fucking good though..." She could still hear their screams, see the horror in their eyes, taste their blood in her mouth...

But as good as her revenge felt, it was what had led her to her predicament today. Exhaling a long, shaky breath, Emersyn tipped her head back toward the sun and took a few breaths to steady herself. "Matalar was furious with me, not only for losing him all the money, but for killing five of his best fighters. He said I was 'destroying his business ventures', the prick... I didn't give a damn at this point. I just wanted to run, run far away from everything and die. Unfortunately for me, I'm stupid and actually said as much to Matalr. So he gave me what I asked for... Late one night, he opened my cell and told the other fighters that whichever one hunted me down and killed me would get their freedom... Then he smiled at me and told me to run away and die, just like I wanted..." Emersyn let out another heavy sigh, then tipped her head down to look at Segin again, finally forcing herself to see the expression the smaller brute was wearing. Would he be disgusted with her too? Think she was weak and broken?

"Emersyn"

Segin let his eyes linger on Emersyn's face while she spoke, remaining quiet and supportive as she explained how she had come to be hunted by a horrible man that owned wolves and forced them to fight for blood sport. His ever present smile was gone and replaced with a look of sympathy and concern. It seemed that they had both been wronged by their parents in one way or another, causing her to be sold off at a young age and forced into this life of violence and danger. She had his full undivided attention while she told him a large portion of her life story and as he listened he imagined her as a young wolf, forced to conform to being this ruthless fighter and he felt deeply sad for her. He wondered what their lives could have been like if each of them had just had someone to defend them when they needed it - not just himself and Emersyn, but Gypsy, Duchess, even Indigo to a certain extent... but they had made it out of it and now they were going to help each other get past all of this.

As soon as she started talking about how the owner of her and the other fighters favored her, how the other fighters hated her, how she was the only female among them... His heart dropped into his stomach with dread and she soon confirmed his fears - except the truth turned out to be even more brutal than he could have originally imagined. He held her leg a little tighter as if he would have any chance of keeping her safe or protecting her in that moment. He joked about being able to protect her, but he was very aware of the fact that physical strength was not his strong suit. He couldn't have fought off her attackers any better than she had been able to. He felt her tremble against him and his ears fell back against his head, his heart breaking for her as he leaned his head into her shoulder again. He couldn't deny that there was a bit of a sick satisfaction in knowing that the brutes that did that to her got what they deserved from her, though he couldn't relate with her feeling good about the murders she had committed, no matter how justified they had been. He remembered the panic he had felt when he realized what he had done, the fear he had seen in his family's eyes when they looked at him... He couldn't feel good about the revenge he had gotten, but he was glad that Emersyn felt that way.

Knowing all of this, it made so much more sense for why she was being hunted. His gaze hadn't left her face the whole time she was letting him into her past so when she finally sighed and looked down at him her two-toned gaze easily met silver. He wore his sympathy and understanding in his expression, but there was also a little bit of pride there too. When forced out onto his own he had fallen into self destructive habits, allowed himself to nearly kill himself with not eating or caring for himself properly. Emersyn fought and fought hard at that and now here she was. She was scarred and damaged, but alive and somewhere that she could hopefully start to heal. "I'm really glad you're here," he repeated, but more seriously this time and with more emotion on his voice. "Not just here to be with us, but... Just here in general. Alive. You survived a lot and... and I'm really proud of you for that."

Segin Epsilon

When Em had looked down at him, she had fully anticipated seeing disappointment or disgust for her in his eyes. It was what she felt for herself, so it only made sense others would see her that way too, right? But when dual-toned blues met sparkling silver, all she could see in Segin's expression was empathy, caring, and love. He showed no signs of negativity to her, and if anything he was holding onto her even tighter than before and not pushing her away. Em was bewildered when he spoke more seriously, voicing his appreciation that she was here. But not here in regards to their group, here as in alive. Then he said he was proud of her. He was proud of her. Proud. Pride had not been something relatively close to how she felt about herself, yet here was this smaller brute saying it to her with such conviction and certainty it sent her reeling.

Emersyn swallowed down the rising emotion choking her words. Segin had taken her so aback that she really didn't know how to respond to him at first. He didn't think she was broken or revolting for the sexual assault she had endured. He didn't see her as weak or a victim. Segin made her feel like a survivor. Her heart beat more erratically with emotions she didn't recognize and her tail began to subconsciously start wagging, gently bumping against him. "Thank you..." she spoke softly after a few moments of trying to gather her emotions and thoughts into coherent words. "That... That means more to me than you know. You're the only wolf to ever say you're proud of me, or that you're happy I'm alive."

Thank you didn't really feel like it came close to how much she appreciated Segin's care and affection, but it was all she had. With the smaller brute still wrapped around her legs, Em leaned her head down over top of his to snuggle him closer, her bushy tail once more looping to wrap around his rump. Cuddling was still not an action she was familiar with, but the warmth of his body against hers felt nice, comforting, reassuring. Now that she had told him her story, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. Em sighed softly, her heart feeling all the lighter for sharing with him. It did raise questions in her head about him though. "When did you ever have to kill a wolf?" she asked, bringing up something he had mentioned in casual passing before that seemed so out of character for sweet little Segin. She just had to know more about what would push this darling sweetheart to homicide.

"Emersyn"

Seeing how much his words meant to her and hearing the emotion in her voice as she spoke about how no one had ever told her how they were proud of her or that they were happy she was alive made him grateful that their paths crossed when they had. He knew the feeling through of not being wanted or cared about. It was something he had lived in for far too long and found himself in the arms of wolves that would only use him just in an attempt to make himself believe that they cared. Indigo had changed all of that for him and he hoped that maybe he could help Emersyn begin to feel and see herself differently. Feeling her tail wag and bump against him made his heart swell with love and pride, so indescribably happy over the fact that he could help her feel even just a little happiness. He smiled happily when she snuggled closer to him, his tail curving around her hip as well as he pressed into her larger form, content to just be held and lean into her for as long as she allowed.

When she spoke again she questioned a fact that he had said in passing and his smile faded a bit. Indigo was the only one that knew his whole truth, but Emersyn had shared so much of herself with him it seemed only fair that he could let her in on his past as well. "Well, I... I killed my father," he admitted softly, still keeping himself pressed into her while he spoke. Just as she had given him a short answer he did as well, but he knew that would only barely begin to scratch the surface of explaining it. He sighed and went on, telling her, "My father would lure women in, rape them until he got them pregnant, and then after the pups were born he'd kill the mother. He had a woman he loved that couldn't have pups so he forced her to raise us. There was a lot of us... Probably a couple dozen at least before he stopped finding women to do this with. But... But then my sisters got older and he started raping them instead."

His ears flicked back and a frown pulled at his lips, keeping his head leaned into her shoulder and foreleg wrapped around hers, watching the water flow by as he painted the awful picture of his upbringing. "They were why I got into learning healing techniques and medicines... To patch them up and heal their wounds when he was done with them. One of my half-brothers would help me take care of them sometimes and I started developing feelings for him and I fell in love. We would sneak out to fool around and have sex, but one night our father caught us." He swallowed past a lump in his throat, squeezing her leg a little tighter. "He ripped Cygnus off of me and murdered him and... and in some twisted show of dominance he started raping me."

He tried closing his eyes as he spoke, but that just allowed the image of Cygnus's body to dance on his eyelids so he left them open, staring out into nothingness instead. "I snapped. I killed him while he was taking me. That's... That's what made the rest of my family leave," he told her, connecting it back to the small bit of his past he had told her before. "I think my brothers just left because they couldn't care less, but my sisters... They looked so scared of me afterward even though I had taken care of most of them for so long... After that I started sleeping with anyone and everyone that showed any kind of interest in me. Men, women, it didn't matter... I just wanted to feel something and just... try to erase what he did from me I guess. Or try to. Then I found Indigo and now... Here I am."

Segin Epsilon

The more Segin began to burrow himself into her frame, the more Emersyn just allowed him to make himself comfortable and snuggle into her. She felt his tail around her hip and was again surprised when she didn't feel the rising panic she had come to know whenever a brute touched her. Segin was different somehow; he didn't provoke the same feelings of fear and violence and disgust in herself. He was... soothing in some strange way she couldn't explain. Her question caused his bright smile to fade, though she wouldn't be left wondering why for long. Segin's answer surprised her. He had killed his father? Em almost felt envious for the littler brute; she would give almost anything to take a swing at the bastard that had given her life just to throw her away like unwanted trash.

But the more Segin spoke, the more Em began to realize that their fathers were starkly different wolves. She listened with a mix of horror and fury while he described the demented actions of his deranged father, her dual-hued eyes shifting about aimlessly into space while he detailed the rapes of the women, all the pups he sired, and then the rapes of his sisters. They had been Segin's motivation to learn healing. A worthy cause. When he leaned more into her and wrapped himself tighter around her leg, Em wrapped herself more protectively around the brute, letting him get lost in her dusty lavender coat as if she could shield him from his past. He told her how he fell in love with one of his half-brothers and how they would fool around in their throes of passion. Emersyn said nothing, reserved no judgment as he would find none here. Love was a foreign concept to the slave-warrior, incestuous or otherwise. Who was she to judge what two consenting wolves did with one another?

He squeezed her leg tighter as he described how his father caught them, then proceeded to murder Segin's brother and rape Segin himself. This time Emersyn couldn't hold back the snarl that twitched on her lips, a quiet growl reverberating in her throat as she considered anyone who'd dare hurt the gentle sweetheart snuggled between her legs. Segin had killed his father mid-rape, and that had caused his family to abandon him. Now it all made sense, but it also made no sense in her mind. How dare the wolves he called family leave him like that? It infuriated her; she wanted to tear the monsters that had birthed Segin to pieces, even if one was already deceased. Bring him back, kill him again. The asshole deserved it. Segin ended his tale by detailing how he'd slept with anyone he could after that just to feel anything again.

Emersyn shifted once he'd finished speaking, delicately turning with Segin still wrapped around her leg so she could bring her other paw around to wrap the smaller wolf up in a tight embrace, clutching him close and tight to her larger form. She let him hide away in her chest, cradling him with her head resting protectively over top of his and a furious, solicitous smolder in her mismatched eyes. "Those wolves lost the privilege to call themselves your family when they betrayed you like that, Segin," Em whispered, her voice just barely audible over the stream so only he would hear her words. They were meant for him alone. "I'm so glad Indigo found us both. I will never let anyone hurt you ever again, I vow it." Segin was such a treasure of a wolf. In one afternoon he had not only made her feel welcomed home, but he had also given her a purpose. She would defend him to her dying day; at all costs, Segin would never be harmed again.

"Emersyn"

Segin's ears perked and flicked at the sound of her protective, angry growl. Whenever he told his story, first with Indigo and now with Emersyn, he didn't really know how they would react. Part of him always kind of expected that he would get a similar response to how his family had reacted. Fear, distrust. A worry that he was going to fall into the same ways of his father. One murder surely ran into another in their eyes. But that's not how Indigo or Emersyn reacted. As she wrapped him up in an embrace and pulled him tight to her, he leaned gratefully into her and smiled faintly as her head tucked down over his and he was surrounded by her protectiveness. Her soft words of assurances that his family lost their privilege to claim him and that she was glad that Indigo found them both warmed his heart and made him wrap his forelegs around her sides to squeeze her in his much smaller embrace. He wished he could say he would keep anyone from hurting her too, but realistically he knew that he wouldn't stand much of a chance in a fight. But he could play into his other strengths.

"Well, I can't really vow to protect you... But I can promise to always be here for you and give you hugs whenever you want," he told her with a chuckle, squeezing her in his arms again. He shifted his head enough to slip out from under her own so that he could tip his muzzle up and press a kiss to her cheek, his dark tail wagging and brushing through the grass. "We both had really bad luck with families, but we'll be each other's family now, okay? Or whatever you want us to be. Best friends? Either way, we'll look out for each other from now on!" He grinned up at her while his paws scratched affectionately along her back. He was a naturally affectionate wolf, especially with physical affection, and he often forgot the fact that other wolves didn't always like that sort of thing. Without really thinking about it, he leaned up again and gave her chin a playful lick before chuckling and nuzzling his head into her chest again.

Segin Epsilon

Feeling Segin wrap his forelegs around her sides just brought out another protective rush of emotions in Emersyn's heart. Perhaps she was being too soft—or perhaps she had always been soft on the inside, and life had forced her to be hard. Maybe he was just breaking through the shell she had put around herself and discovering the true Emersyn Rhyse. When she had been a fighting slave, she had looked after the other slaves not in the arena, Matalar's personal servants to tend to him. They had all been smaller, squishier, much like Segin was. They couldn't defend themselves from the violence the fighters directed at them. But she could protect them, and she had done so well. Was that why they had all turned on her so easily, because she opposed them and what they did? She might never know the truth, but at this point it didn't matter. What was done was done. Now she just had to work with the cards she was dealt.

Segin's comment about how he couldn't effectively protect her, but promised to always be there to give her love and physical affection made Em laugh softly. God, he was such a little sweetheart! Em had been so tickled by his comment that she didn't notice his muzzle coming up until she felt the soft press of his lips against her cheek. She froze, but her heart did the opposite, skipping beats like a stone off the water as emotions she'd never felt before hit her like a truck. She stared down at him with wide eyes, taking in his happy innocuous grin and wagging tail. What did she want Segin to be to her? Her friend? That was a given; he was like her family at this point. But Segin was also making her feel things she'd never felt before, a fire starting deep in her gut and a racing of her heart that wasn't fear. It happened every time he gave her any sort of affection. Was she so starved for a love she'd never known that all it took was a little taste to get her hopelessly addicted like a junkie?

A grin slowly spread its way across her face while Em held Segin's gaze, letting him fuss with her and love on her as he pleased. His paws and claws felt great on her back and the way he clung to her made her feel important, dominant, wanted. Loved. Brutes had terrified her since her ordeal, but Segin didn't. Segin was radically different from the brutes she had known. He was a different breed and he made her feel different ways. Not fear, but a longing, painful hunger. His playful lick to her chin churned that hunger and stoked the fire inside her even more. Every touch made her heart race and made her feel empowered to have a male treat her such a way. That was what it was. Segin made her feel powerful. Not broken, not disgusting—beautiful and powerful.

Leaning closer. Emersyn returned the lick to the end of his muzzle, grinning as she moved to place a slow kiss on the end of his nose. "You're such a sweetheart, Segin," she commented with a snicker. She nuzzled the side of his face, her snout running through the fur on his cheek to find his ear, then lowered her voice to a whisper. "I'm... not very good with physical affection... but if you'd like to help me, I'd like to learn." It felt like such a bold move asking such a thing of him, but Segin made her feel ways she'd never felt before. Maybe this little brute could help her heal from her traumas—or at the very least, keep her feeling like she was riding some sort of high. She didn't want this feeling of beauty and dominance to go away. It felt right. Segin felt right.

"Emersyn"

He noticed how she seemed to tense up a bit when he kissed her cheek, but the more little affections he gave and the longer she seemed to process things he could feel her begin to relax again and that alone felt like the biggest honor. He could imagine that it would be hard for someone like her to enjoy these kind of things after what she had gone through, but she was beautiful and strong and a survivor and she deserved to enjoy all of those things about herself. With him hugging her like this and his chest pressed to hers and his head nuzzling into her chest and neck he could feel and hear the skipping, rapid beat of her heart, making him realize how it was making her feel. Segin never had any qualms with loving on anyone frequently and freely, but ever since finding Indigo it felt like he had started taking each dive into these kinds of emotions and feelings more seriously, really letting himself feel those emotions instead of just using it to drown out other things. Emersyn was special and she deserved to be treated as such.

She surprised him when she leaned in and gave his muzzle a lick and kiss his nose, making him blink while a grin pulling across his lips while his tail continued to wag and brush the ground behind him. He had never found himself in this kind of situation with a woman that was taller and more dominant like this, but she made his heart flutter and skip when she nuzzled the side of his face and brought her nose to his ear, whispering words that held promise of how they would be spending their afternoon. His forelegs squeezed around her sides again as he held her a little tighter, his paws tracing down to her lower back and pulling his claws through her fur as he went, his breath catching in his chest as he leaned into her touch and left a trail of kisses along the edge of her jaw. "I'd love to teach you... I think there's a lot we can learn from one another," he breathed, a little grin still lingering on his lips.

Pressing himself into her larger frame, he started easing her into more purposeful affections, slowly building up the fire between them with kisses and light nibbles all over her cheek, jaw, and neck. He tried his best to sense what the wolves he was with needed and wanted, judging their reactions and picking up on the little things they seemed to enjoy. The loathing she held for herself in her story about her past hadn't slipped past him. Every single moment of her past had been filled with fighting and pain and hatred. He wasn't sure she had ever felt a kind, tender touch and he made it his mission to make up for lost time with her. Every inch of skin he could reach from her cheek down to the top of her chest was covered in little, gentle affections, showing her in his own way that she was cherished and desirable and beautiful. Any time he happened to find a scar hidden under her dusty purple fur from her past life he gave it a little extra attention as if he could kiss them away.

He eventually found his way back up to her lips and caught them in a kiss, giving her a couple gentle kisses at first, but soon they began to grow more passionate and heated, letting her take the lead as she got more comfortable. He walked a fine line between not pushing her too far too fast, but still guiding her through all of these things at the same time. It wasn't the first time he had done this kind of thing and he was sure it wouldn't be the last, but this time felt different. For someone so powerful and capable he felt like part of her was still fragile from the pain she experienced too in her own way and he wanted to heal, not hurt. He slipped away from their kissing after a while of just enjoying the feel of her lips and the taste of her mouth, blinking his silver eyes open to look up at her two-toned gaze, slightly breathless and grinning and very much enjoying everything that Emersyn was. He gave her another soft, encouraging kiss before slipping his paws up around her neck and leaning back, pulling her down over him as he gently fell back into the grass. His paws moved to her hips, pulling her down to him, looking up at her with an unusual mix of love and desire and pride for her even wanting to try any of this. "You take the lead," he told her softly, already panting lightly while a bright grin played on his lips. "I can guide as much as you need, but... I think you need this and I know I'll love it."

Segin Epsilon

Emersyn was more than a little thankful when Segin emphatically said he would love to teach her how to be physical with another wolf, speaking in breathy tones that revealed just how excited she had gotten the littler brute. Low, rumbling sound of delight echoed in Em's chest while Segin graced her jaw with little kisses and his paws roamed down her lower back with claws parting and pulling at fur. Every touch left little tingles of static across her skin, far different from the sensations she'd felt the last time a male had touched her. Perhaps it was because she trusted Segin, or because he was clearly no threat to her. Maybe it was a combination of both. Whatever it was, Em couldn't deny that his touch and affections felt good... so good...!

Segin didn't hesitate to smother her in little kisses and licks and nibbles, making sure not a single inch of her skin wasn't shown some sort of love and affection in his special way. Em felt like a fire was being started deep in her belly, growing and spreading out from parts of her she hadn't felt before. Slowly the fae's breathing began to stutter and quiver with each bit of affection he gave her. Em's larger paws gripped tighter around Segin's back, pulling at pawfuls of his dark, silky coat as she tried to hold the smaller brute tighter to her body. She didn't want to let him go, craving more and more of the love he was giving to her, the love she had been denied time and time again in her life. She was loving the way Segin was loving all over her body, from her jaw and chin down her neck to her chest and any part he could reach, worshipping her like some sort of goddess with his lips and paws.

Emersyn's eyes had fluttered half-lidded when Segin eventually made his way back up to her muzzle, resuming the soft kisses against her lips this time, then more and more passionate with each one. Em showed no resistance, eagerly returning each kiss with fervor, her lips clinging to his as their kisses lasted longer and longer, feeding off his fire. Each one made that inferno and the pressure in her belly grow hotter and stronger and she wanted more and more. When he pulled back and didn't return for another kiss, Em released a tiny whine of need, feeling hungers and cravings she never felt. Her heavy bedroom eyes found Segin's grinning face while he gave her one last kiss, then slowly fell back to the grass, his paws around her neck bringing her over top of him til she was straddling his waist. From above, Segin looked even smaller and more petite, but he also looked handsome and enticing. His paws moved to her hips and her heart missed a beat, racing fire through her veins with every strong pump.

At his gentle guidance, Em's hips pressed to his, feeling his excitement with a soft gasp and a flutter of her two-toned eyes. He told her to take the lead, that he would guide her and that she'd love it. The heat radiating off of him and burning her inside couldn't deny what he was saying. Now that she was on top of him, Em felt powerful, dominant, like she could control Segin to her will. That sense of powerlessness and loss of control she'd felt that night didn't exist here. With Segin, she was the alpha and he was the omega. It was a total power switch and she could get off on that. Grinning down at Segin, Em placed her paws on the brute's chest, claws raking gently through his fur to find his skin while she bit her lip and shifted her hips back until she felt pressure, warmth, and then fullness. A sharp gasp escaped her as her body settled against his, her tail wagging and entwining with his while her hips met his and began slow, exploratory movements, finding sensations she'd never felt before with the brute beneath her.

With Segin's help, Emersyn began to take back control of her body.

- fade -

"Emersyn"