ooc: Liquid timed to a season before Mireia and Azreal's arrival at The Syndicate

"Maldita sea..." she muttered to herself as she slowed to a stop at the base of a waterfall, craning her head to look down at the wound that slashed across her chest. In her sprint away from the cave where Vaso had been staying for the last few weeks the long cut had broken open again and trickles of blood were staining her pale coat again. That bastard... She was more than happy to put up with a lot of things–the smaller cuts across her legs and muzzle spoke to that–but this was too far. She spotted a patch of horsetail on the edge of the river and went toward it, snapping off a few of the reedy branches so she could hopefully patch herself up quickly and keep moving before Vaso realized she was gone. 

She had settled between a couple of large trees to give herself a bit of cover and was working on applying a paste of the horsetail to where the still fairly fresh wound had begun to split open again when she heard a faint shift in the brush in the distance. She froze, her ruby gaze shifting up toward the noise uncertainly. Gods, surely he hadn't noticed she was gone that quickly. He had been out hunting when she left, after all. Luckily it looked like her fears were unfounded when she saw a dark coated brute step out of the trees, seemingly looking for something though she wasn't sure what. He wasn't a familiar face so she knew he wasn't one of Vaso's buddies. She quickly finished up her work on her wound, all the while watching this male through the leaves. It was hard to tell from a distance, of course, but it didn't look like he was traveling with anyone and he certainly seemed like the strong, capable sort... Maybe if she played this right she wouldn't have to worry about Vaso ever again. 

Wiping off her paws, Mireia got up and wove through the trees toward the stranger, putting a distraught expression across her features and pretending to be out of breath from what she hoped looked like a harrowing escape from her attacker. "Seńor, please, will you help me?" she pleaded. "My master, he's gone loco! Por favor, chase him off? I'll do anything!"

"Mireia"

Large paws crunched through the underbrush as the Saxe brute made his way gradually northward. When the ship he'd arrived on had landed at the southern point of the continent, he had heard rumors of a group of violet-coated wolves taking over a pack nearby. Now, naturally, that had to be his family; who else would have such stunning good looks or prowess to topple an entire pack but the very heathens he was looking for! So northward Azrael went, arriving at the territories he had been directed to. The waterfalls were the clear landmarks he had been given to look for, but lo and behold, not a sign of a Saxe to be seen or smelt anywhere! A frown tugged at Azrael's lips. No no no, this wouldn't do. With his only lead gone cold and facing a dead end, the tracker began to sniff about the territory, looking for any sign fresh or stale of his family's whereabouts. He could make do with even the slightest clue if he could suss it out.

Pressing through some overgrown brush with the snap of twigs against his broad, muscular form, Az wandered out into a clearing beside the flowing streams and one of the larger waterfalls. The rucksack across his back holding his meager belongings from his home got snagged on a branch, but a growl and a swift kick to the offending plant freed him. Silly bush. With a harrumph, the brute turned back around—and was suddenly met with the form of another wolf coming towards him through the trees. She was a petite little thing, slender and lithe, dressed in earthen browns and clean whites. But her body was anything but pristine; her lovely form had been marred with a number of scars, many thin and inconsequential. She had a fresh wound on her chest and a fearful look in her ruby eyes. When she spoke, the lilt of a foreign accent tinted her words, some in common Lupine, others in a language he did not know. She was begging him for help though, offering anything for his assistance.

Azrael tipped his head a fraction of a degree to the side while he considered the fae. Who was this scared little morsel running through the woods? Whoever her master was, he clearly did not play nice with his toys. As he studied her, Az's expression remained impassive, making it impossible to tell what thoughts were running around in his brain. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) for the fae, those thoughts were all of how good she would look with his mark on her, how she would make a gorgeous Sidi for him to bring to his new home with him. He'd had to dispose of his others before leaving Saffron. Perhaps she might be the start of a new toy collection... In the blink of an eye, Azrael's expression shifted from neutral to a pleasant smile, his sage green eyes alight with a lively mirth.

"Things must be bad for you to ask a total stranger for help," he observed with almost a tinge of mock sympathy in his rich voice. He tsk tsked and shook his head. "For someone to so crudely mar such a work of art... Abominable." His eyes drifted to the paste on her chest, lifting a paw to dip a digit into the paste. Still fresh. She hadn't been running long. Those green eyes returned to her red ones as he asked a single question. "Very well. Where is he?"

"Azrael"

At first the black and violet marked man was completely expressionless at her approach, his pale green eyes seemingly scrutinizing as he looked her over. There was a moment where she hesitated, wondering if he hadn't understood her or was just that cold that even a pleading "damsel in distress" couldn't coax a reaction out of him. There was a beat of silence before he seemed to decide on whatever it was he was thinking about it and then he regarded her with a smile and a fresh liveliness to his expression. Immediately she knew that he was putting on some kind of act–it took one to know one, after all–but she didn't know what his angle was just yet. Regardless, if he was willing to get Vaso out of her life then she was more than willing to go along with this dance they had begun.

She nodded in agreement when he mentioned how bad it must be for her to ask a stranger for help. That wasn't entirely a lie, after all. She could put up with Vaso fine, but there was no doubt that this new cut was going to scar and she was getting sick and tired of the bastard's slicing and dicing. That was one kink that she was struggling to go along with more and more. "Si, abominable," she agreed with a heavy sigh, glancing down at the newest of her master's marks dejectedly. She didn't notice his paw reaching for her until he was nearly touching her chest, but she held still as he touched where the horsetail paste was still setting on her wound. That pulled her gaze back up to his, still looking at this stranger with a helpless, pleading expression. He was a strange one, that much she was quickly picking up on, but strange was far better than the scumbag she was currently being held by. As soon as he questioned where Vaso was, her expression brightened excitedly and she grinned with a soft gasp. "¡Gracias! ¡Gracias! Sí, right this way. He's been keeping me in a cave, just this way, near the canyon. I'll lead you there."

Immediately, she set off the way she came with her new bodyguard in tow. Even though she was genuinely grateful for his help, she was a smart girl. She knew this brute wouldn't do all of this for nothing. The idea of a truly selfless and righteous wolf that would put themselves in harm's way for someone like her was just a fairy tale, after all. It was yet to be seen if she'd be walking away from this free, fucked, owned, or somewhere in between, but gods she was just ready to see Vaso's smug face beaten in. As they approached the slope that led down into the mountain of the canyon she slowed, eyeing the cave that sat near the top lip of the ridge of stone, watching for any sign of movement that would signal that her master had returned from his hunt. As if on cue, an angry voice shouted from the den, the large brute with a coat of deep browns and blacks stepping out of the cave. "Mireia! ¡¿Dónde estás?! ¡Vuelve aquí, perra!"

"Mireia"

The little fawn fae was absolutely right, of course—Azrael was putting on a display for her. But just as she had sniffed out his deception, he could suss her ruse out immediately. No fae terrified for her life would be so willing to go back to whoever her master was in her state without some sort of malicious intent. Fortunately for her, malicious intents were something the Saxe brute was intimately familiar with. She remained still and mostly without response while he inspected her and checked on her wound, only truly showing any sort of reaction once he had agreed to deal with her master. Those garnet eyes lit up with life and she smiled from ear to ear. She was very cute when she smiled like that. More words in a language he didn't understand tumbled out of her loquacious mouth before she agreed to show him where she had been kept. It was close by, which further aroused Azrael's suspicions, but he would play along for now. The potential reward was well worth the effort.

"After you," replied Azrael in his velvety tones, still all teeth and smiles as he beckoned the stranger onward with a wave of his paw. She set off with the dusky violet brute right behind her, his eyes alternating between taking in their surroundings and drinking in the way that shapely rump swayed back and forth in natural rhythm with each of her graceful strides. Was she putting on a show for him? Probably not, but that wasn't going to stop the lecherous brute from enjoying the view nonetheless. He was still debating what he was ultimately going to do with this lovely specimen of female wolf when they arrived at the path down to the nearby canyon. Az stepped up beside the tawny and snowy fae and followed her apprehensive gaze up to the cave at the edge of the ridge. Az remained quiet, studying his surroundings, sampling the air with a few sniffs. The musky odor of another brute was near, and it was fresh.

Not a second later and the brute in question appeared, bellowing at the top of his lungs for a Mireia in the same dialect and foreign language she had spoken with to him. Az tipped his head to the side, observing the wolf from a distance. He was about Azrael's height and bulkier, built like a tank and equally as mean. Az glanced down at the wolf he now knew was Mireia and gave her a curious look with a tip of his snout to the agitated wolf, silently asking if this was her master. When she confirmed it was him, Azrael nodded and then grabbed Mireia by the scruff, dragging her unceremoniously over towards the den and her master. The nice part about being bigger and stronger than the much smaller and lighter fae was that he could pretty much manhandle her however he pleased and no matter how much she squirmed or resisted, she was powerless against him.

Azrael showed no expressions of remorse or guilt while he dragged Mireia back to her master, making sure the brute saw them coming. When they drew near, he tossed Mireia over towards Vaso, locking gazes with the enraged wolf. "I believe you lost something of yours," he said, tones cool and impassive. While Vaso was busy dealing with Mireia, Azrael surreptitiously slipped his rucksack off his back and dipped a paw inside, fishing about for a moment before grasping the injector within between his toes. With slow and stealthy movements, the Saxe brute pulled out his injector—a small vial sealed with a cork that had a sharp spine poking through—and circled slowly around closer to Vaso. The wolf was too busy screaming in his foreign tongue at the cowering fae that by the time he saw Azrael it was already too late. Az jabbed the injector into the side of Vaso's neck and pushed, injecting the contents directly into the brute's bloodstream. Vaso snarled and jerked away, swinging a paw at Azrael. Az was too close to avoid the blow, and the jerking motion snapped the end of the spine off of is injector into the wolf's neck. That large paw smacked Azrael across the face, sending him stumbling back a few steps as a few spatters of blood fell from his split lip. But despite taking the hit, Azrael was all smiles.

Rising back to his full height, Azrael just stood back, watched, and waited. He knew exactly how long it should take for the toxin to kick in, and it should be right... about... now. As if on cue, Vaso's advance on him stopped, his body shuddering like he was freezing. His legs quivered, locked up, and then collapsed underneath him. Az watched with a wicked smirk as the brute slowly began to lose all control of his body, the toxin shutting down his neurons' response from the brain to leave him completely paralyzed and helpless. "Wandering spider venom packs quite the punch, don't you think?" he taunted the wolf, rolling the now empty injector over his digits back and forth while he grinned proudly. "It's quite potent and lasts a while. Oh, but don't worry—it doesn't kill you! It just leaves you paralyzed and numb. No no, killing you is her job." Azrael looked up at Mireia then, tipping his muzzle down at her petrified master, helpless and vulnerable at her paws. "Go on, Mireia. Do what you want with him."

"Azrael"

Mireia cursed quietly under her breath as Vaso stormed out of the den yelling for her, a scowl crossing her lips. Oh how she despised everything about him... She glanced up at the nameless stranger beside him, the questioning nod clear enough without him having to explain himself. She nodded to confirm–that was the bastard they were looking for. She had only ever dealt with masculine bastards that handled everything with brute force and little else so she had expected nothing less from him. However, instead of forging ahead toward Vaso she suddenly felt his teeth on her scruff. She gasped with shock and immediately began to wriggle and fight against him, a string of biting curses falling from her lips at this betrayal. "¡Que te jodan! ¡Déjame ir! ¡Bastardo, me mentiste!" she spat at him as she was quickly and easily drug back to her master as easily as if he was carrying something he had brought back from a hunt.

With a quiet "oof" she was tossed onto the ground in front of Vaso, making her grit her teeth as the rough movement aggravated her healing wound yet again and hit her shoulder into the stone. She barely got a venomous glance over at the stranger before she felt Vaso's heavy paw on her neck, pulling a choking sound from her as he leaned over her with a dark, ominous chuckle. "Sí, Señor, much appreciated," her master muttered toward the violet-marked man before she could practically feel Vaso's gaze burning down at her, his paw cutting off her breathing and spittle splattering across her face as he yelled down at her. "Me estoy cansando de tu mierda, perra. ¡Das más problemas de los que vales! Te vendería, pero ningún otro bastardo lamentable te aguantaría. No, creo que simplemente te desollaré y te convertiré en–"

Suddenly the weight on her throat was gone as Vaso jerked away, letting Mireia take a gasping breath and scramble away, frantically getting back to her paws as she spun to face the pair of brutes, her ruby gaze wide as she tried to put together what had happened. She saw something in the stranger's paw, blood trickling from his lip from where Vaso had struck him, and then Vaso holding the side of his neck for a moment while the stranger grinned all the while. Was... this all part of his plan? Confused and reeling, Mireia watched as Vaso attempted to advance on his attacker only to seemingly freeze in place as if is muscles had turned to stone and he fell helplessly to the ground. Her mouth hung open in shock for a moment, staring at her master in bewilderment until the man that she thought had betrayed her explained that it was a venom that was causing this reaction. Her gaze turned to him with something akin to awe. Never had she seen anyone go about a fight with someone like this and it was more than enough for her to take notice. 

As if that wasn't enough to throw the usually composed and calculating woman off kilter, he went on to explain that the venom wasn't going to kill him–that was her job. "¿Qué?" she questioned with bewilderment and then turned her gaze down toward the now defenseless bastard at her paws. Never in her whole life had power–real power, not just her own perceived power that she found for herself with her sexuality and wit–like this been in her paws and as she started to wrap her head around the situation that had been presented to her on a silver platter a wicked grin started to pull across her features. That grin shifted into a pleased smirk as she chuckled and then turned to walk past her rescuer into the cave behind him. She went over to where a few of Vaso's belongings were kept and retrieved the dagger that she had been on the receiving end of more times than she cared to count. It felt heavier than she had imagined between her teeth, but she adjusted to the weight quickly enough as she walked back out to where Vaso was laying frozen and lightly twitching.

She loomed over him for a moment, enjoying this moment of the tables being turned in her favor for once and she leaned down till her nose was nearly touching his and she smirked around the dagger. "¿Qué fue eso de desollarme?" she purred with a giggle before she turned her head and sliced the tip of the blade along the underside of his muzzle, following that line all the way down the front of his throat, that familiar, iron tang of blood very quickly filling her nose. When she got to the base of his throat she drove the dagger deep into Vaso's neck, straight through his windpipe. That's where she left it as she let go and took a step back, watching with a mix of disbelief and relief as Vaso slowly bled out and choked on his own blood. She turned her ruby gaze toward the stranger that had made this all possible then, her gaze heavy lidded and seductive, the adrenaline and heady sense of short lived power making her feel like she was on top of the world. She walked over to him, her hips swaying sensually with each step. "What is your name?" she purred with her heavily accented tones, tipping her muzzle up to look him in the eye. "What do you want of me?"

"Mireia"

The shock, the betrayal, the fear... All the emotions that flashed behind Mireia's ruby eyes sent tingles surging through Azrael's body from tip to tail. Seeing that emotional response in her was a delightful game to him, the sadistic brute reveling in all these raw feelings he could pull from her oh so easily. He found he quite liked that wide-eyed look she got while her former master was choking her to within an inch of her life. He'd archive that little tidbit of knowledge away for later. The surprise on her face when he offered up Vaso to her on a silver platter brought a cruel smirk to the Saxe brute's lips, and the way a wicked resolve came over her when she realized what she was being given ignited something primal in the brute's belly. He loved manipulating others, toying with them, getting them to bend to his will and do as he wished. Whether she realized it or not, Mireia was now acting to his whims, doing as he wished and committing a murder without him needing to give the command. She had passed his first test.

While Mireia ran into the cave and fetched a dagger which she then proceeded to threaten Vaso with, Azrael simply sat back and watched the show, an amused smirk turning up one corner of his lips while he inspected his broken injector. It was damaged beyond repair and utterly useless; he'd need to make more. Sinister green eyes watched with sadistic glee while the little fae carved her master's throat open, then plunged the dagger into his neck and left it lodged in his flesh like planting a flag of triumph on his corpse. The air was heavily perfumed with the scent of blood while the abusive brute bled to death before their eyes, gurgling through the hole in his neck for only a few moments before his eyes turned to glass and his body lay still forever more. From the sidelines, Az observed her work. She was crude, sloppy, but she got the job done. All in all, not bad for what he assumed was her first murder. 7/10, would let her butcher paralyzed wolves again.

Mireia turned to face him then, Azrael's sage green eyes alight with a wild light in them, looking ever so pleased with himself at the results of his interference. Their eyes locked and Az saw a much different look in the fae's eyes. Those ruby jewels were half-lidded, staring at him with a seductive and wanton lust, a euphoric grin on her muzzle. Well well well... Azrael hadn't anticipated this to arouse Mireia so much. Another nugget of information tucked away for later. The larger brute stayed where he was seated on his haunches with blood dripping down his chin from his split lip while the sultry minx of a fae sauntered over to him, her hips deliberately swaying like a pendulum with each step, entrancing his eyes to her fluffy rump. She asked his name in those purred Hispanic lyrics, now right up on him as he looked down to hold her gaze. Their size difference was delicious... She asked what he wanted of her and Azrael responded by bringing a large paw up to rest against the side of her throat, not quite grabbing yet but holding her so she would know he could choke her at any moment. Paw pads stroked along the side of her throat, claws parting through her soft fur to tickle her skin beneath. All the while he stared into those red eyes, his mind filled with salacious and devious fantasies of what those eyes would look like indulging in all his favorite kinks.

Those large digits slid up to caress Mireia's jaw, keeping her head tilted up so he could manipulate her as he wished. "Azrael Saxe," he answered her, short and simple. To her second question, a darker fire smoldered in those pale green eyes that seared into hers with an indomitable intensity. His tail raised up over his back in a dominant display, asserting his will over her as was the Saxe way. She would be his Sidi. She would be his toy and his alone to do with as he pleased. She would be his to serve him and play with and fuck as he desired. "I want to make you mine. I'm going to claim you now, and then I'm bringing you with me to my family's pack, where you'll live the rest of your days with me," he explained to her, his words making it crystal clear that this was happening. He had given her a taste of power—now he was showing her why he would stay in control. "That is, assuming you can show me why you're worth keeping around." That little manic smile returned to Azrael's lips, though the sinister fire smoldering in his eyes betrayed the brute's true nature. This was her final test. He wasn't going to cart around a useless fae as his Sidi. If she wanted to live past the next few minutes, she was going to have to impress him with her useful talents.

"Azrael"

Azreal Saxe. That was a name she had a feeling she was about to be intimately familiar with. She didn't pull away as his paw reached for her throat, the feeling of his claws raking against her skin leaving little tingles in their wake. He was such an intriguing brute and even though she hardly knew more about him than his name she could already tell he was different from the other brutes she had been around the entirety of her life. No less sadistic, she was sure, but different in how he went about it all. It wasn't like she ever really had a say in who owned her, but this was the first time she actually wanted to learn more about her master–or at least who she assumed would be her new master. He confirmed as much as if he was reading her thought, taking a more dominant stance as he declared that he would claim her and take her with him to his family's pack to spend the rest of her days with him. There was no shock or worry or disgust in her expression as she imagined most women might would feel being told something like this. She only replied with a little smile of understanding and acceptance. He had already given her more than anyone else ever had. Why would she say no?

There seemed to be one condition however–to show him why she was worth keeping around. The look in his eyes made it very clear what sort of skills he was looking for and a sly grin pulled across her lips. "Of course," she replied simply with a seductive purr to her tone as she pulled away and began to step past him into the cave that waited behind him, her plush tail sweeping under his chin and along his cheek as she walked past him, her tail curling over her back and leaving nothing to the imagination. "Let me show you how I've stayed alive this long, amar," she added as she tossed a grin at him over her shoulder as she walked into the den toward the large bed of furs that dominated the otherwise sparsely furnished den. There were a few odds and ends tucked against the walls and a freshly killed deer laying off to the side just inside the entrance that Vaso had clearly brought back just before he was killed. Leading him over to the bed, she gestured for him to get comfortable, giving him a sultry look as she added, "My hero deserves to lay back and enjoy his prize."

"Mireia"

Azrael was pleasantly surprised that Mireia didn't try to pull away from his touch when he reached for her throat. She submitted to him willingly, offering no resistance in stark contrast to how she had been with her previous master only minutes before. She even smiled as he exerted his dominance and ownership over her. Good. She was malleable. His touch, domineering and threatening, was also gentle as a lover's caress. He handled her like an art connoisseur would to a fragile masterpiece. One thing Azrael was not was destructive with his toys. Oh, he would enjoy Mireia thoroughly, bend her to his will, expose her to his perversions and degenerate behavior, but he would not permanently damage her the way his careless predecessor had. She would be his toy for the rest of her days; his newest Sidi and the first he would lay claim to in new Saffron, or whatever his cousin decided to name his new extension of the empire.

All that remained now was ensuring that she would be worth his time investment. Azrael was an exceptionally busy wolf, always at the beck and call of his Sultan for his expertise and talents. After all, there were so many threats a king faced, and intelligence was the greatest defense against these threats. He imagined Sephiran would have a mighty need for an Inquisitor. Fortunately, Mireia seemed unintimidated by his challenge, beckoning him in with a sly grin and seductive purrs of her sexy accented voice. The smaller fae slipped from his grasp, sidling past him to lead the way into the cave with a brush of her plush tail beneath his chin to entice him in. Azrael's hungry eyes followed every step the little Latina wolf took, the lustful gleam lighting up in them when she curled that fluffy tail up over her hips to give him an excellent view of everything she had to offer. An eager grin slowly made its way across Az's face, the dusky violet brute standing to follow after her, casually stepping over the corpse on his way into the cave.

Mireia offered to show him how she'd stayed alive so far, that sultry grin inviting him closer, and gods was it working. Az followed her with his eyes locked on her, steely and focused like a predator stalking his prey. He didn't bother looking around the den right now; he could snoop about after he got to indulge his lust in his newest conquest. Mireia led him over to a spacious bed of furs and gestured him towards it. Az stepped around her with a smirk, purposefully rubbing his side against hers so she could feel the planes of lean, taut muscle hidden beneath his coat while he flopped to the bed and settled on his back, getting comfortable and into position so he could gaze up at the sexy little fae and enjoy whatever show she was preparing for him. She called him her hero and offered him his prize, which Azrael accepted with a lecherous rumble and settled back into the furs. "Show me what you're capable of, Mireia."

"Azrael"

There wasn't too many opportunities in the life she led to feel the way she did right now and that alone earned Azrael a lot of points in her book. As she watched her handsome new master brush past her to lay down on the bed she couldn't help the sly little grin that lingered on her face. Oh she had not one doubt that he was an absolutely depraved, lecherous, wicked man. The fact that he had come here with an intent and a plan to kill Vaso instead of trying to sweep her away like some knight in shining armor spoke plenty to that. Still, she had come across more than her fair share of violent, lecherous brutes in her short life and he was the first that had put any kind of power in her paws. For the small price of being his bait and distraction he had allowed her to take the life of the brute that had been marring and torturing her for a better part of two seasons now. That alone had immediately attracted and endeared her to Azrael in her own odd, twisted way.

"Gladly," she replied with a smirk as he told her to show him what she was capable of. She never left the brutes she was with unsatisfied, but it was a little more rare when she actually wanted her master so Azrael was certainly in for a treat. With a slinking, graceful movement like a prowling big cat, Mireia stepped over him till she was able to settle down into his lap with her tail curling and swaying behind her. Delicate forepaws rested on his belly as she sat back across his waist and she slowly slid forward with her forepaws gradually combing through the dark fur that covered his underside all the way up to his chest. She could feel the toned muscles beneath his skin and a lustful grin lingered on her lips as she took all of him in and learned every inch of him. With that she went to work, pulling out her very best tricks to prove to this twisted brute why she deserved to have him care for her and keep her around. She didn't ask for much–just protection, food, and a place to live–and for that she could give him all of this and more.

- fade -

"Mireia"