Shadow Heart Pack House

[Red Gypsy]

Wolfe Garm

Casee felt the bond forming and instantly did something someone of his age shouldn't have been able to- he reached out to her pain and shared it between the both of them. Despite the shared pain, he still reached his hand out to her which was still bleeding slightly even though it was healing as she watched. He reached out that small hand and slid it under her shirt to rest his palm to the skin above her left breast, between her shoulder and neck.

The instant his blood touched her skin, another glow flashed through the room, though it was very brief. Once it was done, she would carry the mark of his hand there as long as they were bonded. That mark also restored a great deal of her energy and healed some of her soul-wound.

The actions marked him as both an empath and a potential Healer. A dangerous combination in the wrong hands and one of the reasons his twin sister had died to save him. Luckily, the Alpha of the Shadow Heart Pack was also an empath...

When Luke returned to the room with bandaging for Casee's hand and a pair of shorts for the cub, Casee crawled over and curled up in her lap to silently shed some tears. Tears that he'd never cried, tears for them both, tears for his sister and her mate, and tears for a different reason...

"Matera...." he whispered softly, though only she would be able to tell that the word was ancient Greek for Mother...

Luke knew instantly that they'd bonded and gave a soft sigh then a small smile as he set the shorts on the edge of the bed, "These are for him, whenever he's ready. I'm not sure what he just said, but I can guess. I'm happy for you both," he said softly, hoping that she'd understand that his earlier outburst had simply been worry about Casee's pain as well as her own. The male was learning to be a nurse, after all.

He gave them another small smile, "I'll bring up something else to eat in a little bit," he added then looked at the rest of the cubs still on the bed, "Should they go or can they stay? They can still lay down with the two of you and help you both heal a bit more..." he offered as he looked back at Za'Vira for the decision. Up on the bed, the cubs were looking at them with that adorably hopeful look that only a wolf cub can give, the look that melts hearts and gets them out of all kinds of trouble...  

[Wolfe Garm]

Za'Vira Lucio

Red Gypsy

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Za’Vira was surprised when Casee did what he did, but then again it wasn’t entirely unexpected, they needed a secure bond. Once the bond was fully and firmly established between them, and Casee curled up in her lap she wrapped her arms around him and held him close to her, her attention was focused on him, for the first time she wasn’t really sure what to do, Casee was her first child under her care now, and while she felt happy she couldn’t help but shed a tear as well as she knew that her mate wasn’t here to cherish this moment with her, but that thought quickly faded as she looked from her child to the male who directed a question to her and the many pairs of eyes looking at her from the bed, a part of her wanted to have them go so that she could focus on Casee but she felt that it would be best that they didn’t knowing full well that they’d provide some assistance in their recovery, looking back down at her child she nodded “they can stay…” glancing over at her pack that still had her damaged armor and clothes she knew she was going to have to do something about those but also see about making some for Casee, for now it wouldn’t be necessary to have the same kind of clothing she wore since hers were made with the intent of being in heavy combat, she would leave that decision up to Casee as to whether or not he’d follow her on the same path, though if anything she was well and truly ready for what lied ahead.

Za’Vira didn’t let go of Casee knowing full well that at this point he needed her more than anything and she would keep him close and watch over him. As time went on Za’Vira picked up Casee and carefully got up before moving to the bed and sat down on it next to the shorts and smiled still holding him close “let’s see about getting you dressed, and then we’ll rest” Za’Vira would help him on his feet and if he needed she’d help him put the shorts on, knowing how drained he was she was sure that they both were going to need to rest. Once Casee had the shorts on Za'Vira scooped him up in her arms and got comfortable on the bed with her back braced up against the wall a pillow comfortably placed and held him close to her, the others got comfortable around them.

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[Red Gypsy]

Wolfe Garm

Casee did need the help to stay steady on his feet as he put his shorts on. After all, he hadn't walked or stood on two legs in a long time. When they were finally settled on the bed again with the cubs happily curled up around them, he looked up at Luke and gave him a small smile, "Thank you, Luke..." he said softly, reminding Za'Vira that Luke had been the one to first save him and bring him here.

And Luke had been trying to look after Za'Vira...

Luke smiled at them both as the cubs finished settling in, "You're very welcome Little Brother..." he told the boy with a respectful nod of his head, "I'll arrange comfortable clothing for you both, while you finish recovering and get back into shape," he offered, knowing that they had plenty of supplies.

Of course, with the bond, she would be able to explain what had happened to his original pack, or encourage him to explain it. It would need to be explained, though he was actually able to hide why even from her right now. What she would realize later, was that his pack was attacked by the same ones that had attacked hers...

He did look up at her as he snuggled in beside her and gave her a small smile as well, though one tinged with sadness, "He would have made a good father... Just as you will be a good Matera... We can talk to Torrent about your armor, he was learning from Sebastet and she said he was good," he told her in a soft whisper that Luke only caught the tail end of.

Luke smiled again, "If he was learning from Sebastet, then he'll know his craft. As half-demon, he'll be able to control the fire better. He'll be well-able to repair your armor and craft more as needed. Saber has already invited you to dinner when you feel able and I know that the twins will be glad to see Casee," he offered and reminded her of the invitation she'd been given at the hospital.

He gave her a respectful nod of his head and headed for the door but paused before leaving to offer her another smile with his parting words, "Welcome to the Shadow Heart Pack, Za'Vira..." he told her, a hint of humor coloring his voice.

When she'd bonded with Casee, she automatically became a full member of the pack. Luke just spoke the official welcome as he left them alone.


After a moment, Casee closed his eyes and rubbed his head slightly against her side, "Do you mind it?" he asked her softly, "Being part of the pack, I mean?" he added, hoping that she wouldn't mind it. Admittedly, he knew that they would take out the one that had killed her Mate and pack, and that he'd go with her to help. But he'd have to be trained a bit more for it. Still, that much was a given for him.

But now, she had a new place to call home and a very mixed-bag to call family. They had everything in the pack right now: wolves, leopards, cougars, foxes, bears, birds... And Casee knew that the Alpha's Mate was, in fact, in negotiation with a dragon...  

[Wolfe Garm]

Za'Vira Lucio

Red Gypsy

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Za’Vira nodded a tear slid down her cheek at the thought of her old pack, the armor and clothes are about all she had left of not only the white Fangs whose crest was embedded onto the right gauntlet as a reminder to those of which pack she belonged to but also the mate she lost whose clothes matched hers, how much had changed in such a short time. When she was welcomed into the pack Za’Vira looked surprised but that couldn’t be helped, it was better than roaming the land with a child in tow, it might have worked for the White Fangs as big of a pack they were but she didn’t have the luxury of being able to do what they did in the past and raising a child alone meant she had to be more aware of the work she would likely have to take. Looking at Casee she smiled when he asked her if she minded it, running a hand along his cheek she replied “no child, I’ve got you to look after, so being with this pack is as fine as any other” Za’Vira shifted slightly so that she could lean over and kissed him on the forehead “rest my son” after that she would get comfortable and close her eyes and try to get some rest everything else could wait until they were in better shape.

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[Red Gypsy]

Wolfe Garm

Edited

Casee gave a small smile and fell asleep as she told him to, the cubs snuggling in around the both of them as they started going to sleep as well. In that moment, she had to feel it: that she was officially part of the pack. No conditions, not hesitations, no interviews, no applications, no fights... She was simply accepted as one of them.

A few minutes later and the door was bumped open a bit more by a couple of small heads. But they were probably not what she was expecting.

Next thing she'd know, she had more young ones clamoring up onto the bed to camp out with the wolf cubs she already had. She had two leopards, a cheetah, three fox kits, four bear cubs, and six cougars. But at least the birds hadn't come in...

That, alone, would tell her that this pack was just as accepting as she'd been told, and just as mixed. Still, with the addition of the additional youngsters, the amount of healing energy she and Casee were receiving increased...  

[Wolfe Garm]

Za'Vira Lucio

Red Gypsy

if Griz comes back in worse shape Za'Vira may sense his presence and get involved. though if Za'Vira needs to get involved sooner let me know.

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Za’Vira felt their presence when they came in, she wasn’t worried about them coming in, if anything it reminded her of her old pack more than anything, which was bittersweet in the end. As time went on Za’Vira’s strength was slowly coming back to her, Za’Vira’s senses were more focused now than they were before perhaps more to do with the fact that her maternal instincts had taken over and she was more alert with a child in tow. Her magical strength had restored quite a bit since adopting Casee into her family, but she was long ways off yet from having full strength, as it were, she would have to be careful to not overexert lest it drain her and leave her exhausted. Long before she had ever bonded with her mate her packs healer had started teaching her to do what she did as well, in times like this it would have been simple enough to simply create a what Za’Vira’s teacher called a special remedy that would help the body recover from magical exertion much swifter, though admittedly it tasted horrible.

Za’Vira woke up suddenly her head popping up to look over Casee at her pack, did she have the log that her teacher had given her of the various herbal recipes, being with Casee and the children had sparked a memory she had lately forgotten, her studies in magic included basic herbalist studies though while she was never that good at it -which was why her teacher gave the log- she knew that some things worked from past experience with the stuff from either having to make It herself to help someone either in her pack or someone they came across in need, or having been the subject of the usage of the same herbal remedies as well. Sighing slightly she laid her head back down resigning to the fact that right now she really needed rest, looking for the book would be something she’d have to do once she’s able to move without falling, nearly immediately her fatigue and pain caught up with her and near instantly went back to sleep.

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[Red Gypsy]

Wolfe Garm

Thanks. We actually have a plan of drawing this out a bit more, though.

Downstairs, Cass led Saoirse into the pack house and winced at the exclamations over their condition. Luke pushed his way through and got everyone to back off as he simply pointed to the room under the staircase.

Cass was able to tell everyone that Griz was taking care of the problem. But what probably shocked Saoirse was that the others just looked disappointed over that, though the hopeful looks reappeared when Cass said that he'd probably need help with cleanup. That got a few pf the pack members leaving to head for the training building.

Cass led the way into the treatment room that looked more like an extra bedroom with shelves for medical supplies.

Luke motioned for Cass to take his shirt off and winced at the claw marks and rope burns. The bruises would heal up after his next shift, but the others would take longer to heal.

Then Luke looked at Saoirse and motioned to the bed, "Have a seat and let me see the damage, Dama," he said simply, needing to see who had the worst wounds first.

Cass looked at her when she hesitated, "Luke is training to be a nurse, though the doctors at the hospital think he'd do better to go all the way and become an actual doctor. But he patches us all up here," he explained to her, the look on his bruised face not really giving her much choice. When she hesitated again, he gave a heavy sigh, "I know he hurt you. Come on," he added, knowing that her lioness wouldn't deny him much.

While she was hesitating, Luke was getting together what he'd need for Cass. Dissolvable stitches, antiseptic cream, bandages, and even an antibiotic shot. There wasn't much they could do for bruises, but the rest could be taken care of.



Upstairs, Casee shifted in closer to Za'Vira as she stirred, but when she settled down, so did he. This time, as they rested, she recovered much more than she would have expected. She actually physically healed up fully, and regained most of her energy levels.

Sleeping with the cubs and other youngsters helped alot, though the new bond helped even more. It wasn't a full cure, but it was more than she could have planned for.

Casee woke up first this time, and did his best to hide the pain from his own soul-bond-injury. Admittedly, he wasn't very good at it. But he was trying.

And he was getting out of the bed to head for the bathroom...  

[MzDuchess]

Saoirse pressed up against Cass’s small frame, her ears going back while she exposed her fangs. A low growl emitted from her throat, but she didn’t care. Last time she showed her fangs, Griz had come flying out to berate her for over-reacting to others being too close. That flitting thought followed by an overwhelming sadness has the human part of herself sinking further into the shadows of her mind. She didn’t want to feel any of that anymore, and her lioness was more than willing to be in control.

Once they were inside the pack house, people started to swarm them, but she warned them off with a loud hiss. All but a brave few stepped forward but once she swiped at them – they too back off. Well all but one, who seemed to take control of the situation. Saoirse could tell he had some alpha qualities in him, but it wasn’t enough to boss her around yet. However, Cass seemed to be thankful for the stranger stepping forward and urged the lioness to follow them into another bedroom.

Flits of conversation filtered in as some of the other shifters who had tried to bombard them say they were going to the training yard to get a piece of Galen. If Griz and Galen were still fighting, then her brother should be a little bit worried for all the muscle coming to help. Galen may be stronger than any other shifter she knew, but no one could take on that many at once. Especially not if Griz had managed to get a couple of good hits in on him.

Looking over her shoulder, Saoirse watched several members of Cass’s and Griz’s clan leave before the door shutting cut off her view. Instantly her ears went back, and she let out a warning growl towards the other male. When he held his hands up in a no-harm fashion, she let him ease past her as he headed towards her cub. Cass’s heavy sigh had the lioness’ ears perk up but when he pleaded for her to allow Luke to look her over, she let out another low growl. Not in warning towards Cass, but more of a rebuke of the idea. No way was some strange male touching her. He would be lucky that she didn’t tear him to pieces for touching her cub, but the young one needed bandaging – which is the only reason this Luke was still alive.

When Cass stepped towards her, she took a step back before sitting back on her haunches and watching Luke wander all over the room, gathering supplies. Once he had everything he needed, she watched him very carefully as he disinfected and sewed up Cass’s wounds, trying very hard not to think about Griz and the look of betrayal and disappointment on his face.










ωɦε૨ε: Sanctuary
ฬเtђ: Cass and Luke
мσσ∂: Sad, Determined, Frightened
ωεα૨เɳɠ: OUTFIT




Red Gypsy

 

[Red Gypsy]

MzDuchess

Dameon Black

Quoting you so you have the history and know what's going on.

Cass only made one small pained grunt when Luke started stitching up the claw marks he'd gotten from Galen but kept his eyes on the lioness. After a few stitches, he knew he had to say something, he just wasn't sure where to start. In the end, he just decided to wing it...

"My dad was killed by another male right after I was born. He let my mom keep be because it kept her quiet. Then, one day, he just started hitting her and didn't stop. I heard her screaming, but it was worse when the screaming stopped. Then he pulled me out from under the bed and literally threw me out the door... If I hadn't been in cat form, I probably would have died instead of landing on my feet. I ran as fast as I could despite a sprained wrist from when I landed. I don't know how long I was running, but I was just about dead when I found the back door here.

"Wind found me when he went to take the trash out from the kitchen," he had to smile at the memory, "To look at him, you'd easily dismiss him. He's pretty, for a male. Long dark brown hair, big brown eyes, and the biggest heart on the planet. He didn't hesitate one bit. He just picked me up and cuddled me up against him... I was still really tiny then... And he carried me inside, handed me to Egan so he could get a warm towel and some food. I didn't find out later that Egan was the Alpha here and that Wind was his Mate. I was a total mess: dirty, fleas, sprained wrist, an eye infection, and a bad fever. Egan still held me without flinching and even helped Wind spoon-feed me some broth and meat bits. They both cleaned me up, bandaged me up, and put me to bed right in their own room," he had to explain it all and hoped he was getting the right words out.

His words had made Luke flinch numerous times and the male was actually silently crying as he finished bandaging up the boy.

He finally looked at Saoirse with those so-serious eyes, "If you don't stand up now... One day that b*****d is going to beat you to death too... And if you don't escape him now, one day you'll ust let him do it... If that's where you're headed, I can't watch it. I can't live through that again. Griz is a good male. He's strong. Stronger than you think. You think that b*****d is so strong that he can't be beaten. But everyone has a weakness and everyone gets beaten sometime.

"If you want to be free, you could be helping Griz. You could be honest with yourself about why you're running instead of fighting.

"But if you're going to run again... At least wait long enough to tell Griz the truth... He deserves that much..." he told her then took his antibiotic shot and left the room, fully intending to just go upstairs and lay down.


As he left the room, Luke turned around and sat on the bed as he tried to clean up his face, "None of us knew... He's never said what happened..." he whispered softly, revealing that Cass had never told anyone what had happened to his original family...  

[MzDuchess]

Saoirse continued to watch Luke’s movements and take note of everything he did to Cass’s wounds – locking that information away for another day. She had lived in the wild most of her life, so she was still acclimating to being human and how humans took care of things. This knowledge would come in handy later.

Her attention however was drawn away from Luke’s hands and back towards Cass, where she met his sad gaze. Her bright blue eyes took in his expression and let out a questioning chuff. After an awkward silence, the young cub finally broke the mounting tension in the room by telling Saoirse how he had come to be at the pack house. Her ears fell flat against her head as she listened to his sad tale, and felt her heart give at the absolute heartbreak he had encountered. These people, this pack – they were good people. She had seen time and time again how they came together and how much caring was had between them all but the whole dynamic was new to the lioness.

When he accused her of allowing Galen to beat her, then she finally felt her lioness’ first emotion that wasn’t naturally animalistic. Shame. It wasn’t that he was right, she never fully allowed Galen to strike her in anger, but that was mainly because she avoided upsetting him. He had been growing increasingly more protective as the years went on, almost to the point that he would accompany her and watch while she did her business. That was the first time she started to feel unease around her big brother. But her final straw had been the night he had let her know what he expected to happen between them.

A shudder went down her spine, causing her fur to ruffle before she dropped her eyes from Cass’s searching gaze. Everything he was saying was right, but even if by some chance Griz defeated Galen if he didn’t kill her brother, then she would never be safe. Cass would never be safe around her and it was with that thought she watched her young cub walk out the room.

Staring at the door with conflicting emotions, she continued to ignore Luke’s presence. Or at least she did until he spoke up, commenting on how he never knew about Cass’s past until now. With a heavy huff, she finally acknowledged the other male with a swivel of her ear. When his gaze met hers, she walked slowly towards him with her head lowered but her gaze fierce against his own before stopping in front of him. Without dropping eye contact, she sat back on her haunches easily within reaching distance, letting the male know that he could tend to her wounds but the flexing of her claws gave way her anxiety, along with her flickering tail.









ωɦε૨ε: Sanctuary
ฬเtђ: Luke
мσσ∂: Sad, Determined, Frightened
ωεα૨เɳɠ: OUTFIT




Red Gypsy

 

[Red Gypsy]

MzDuchess

Luke gave a small smile and nodded in acknowlegment of her level of being uncomfortable, "Thank you, Dama..." he said softly, then treated her wounds as gently as he could, even giving her the antibiotic shot. He explained everything he was doing through the whole thing.

When he finished and backed off, he had another patient coming through the doorof the house.

One of the pack ran to the doorway and looked at Luke, "Griz is coming in. But he's not happy. We may need the tranq," she said a bit breathlessly. When Luke went to say something, she held up a hand to stop him, "I know. It might just piss him off. But have it ready just in case anyway," she told him simply then left him alone with Saoirse.

He moved to prepare for injuries again, setting everything up that he thought he'd need.

Griz got to the door then had to shift to his human form and limped through the house without a stitch on and not caring one bit. He had a small chunk taken out of the side of his neck, numerous claw marks and bite marks, a couple of cracked ribs, and his broken arm was down to a double-fracture. He also had four deep claw marks across one cheek.

A few of the females stood by the doorway of the medical room and whispered their usual comments on his 'size'... But he ignored them as he moved in, passed a glance to Saoirse, then simply sat down on the bed and let Luke start to stitch him up.

But when Luke offered the painkiller, Griz just glared at him until he put the needle down and got to work. Only then did he look at Saoirse, and his expression was NOT happy!

"He ran off. He won't be back in our territory until he heals up and is certain that he can get me alone. He won't go after Cass again. It's between him and me now. Even if you run, he'll still come back here after me. So it doesn't matter if you run off. Better to stay here where you have a bed and a bathroom with meals and access to weapons and a blacksmith," he explained to her, his voice carrying a hint of a growl to it.

He knew she had to have heard the comments of the females but ignored it. That commentary had to tell her that no female in the house would touch him. But, again, he ignored that.

"The b*****d knows he signed his death warrant when he touched Cass and violated the rights of Sanctuary. You were under those rights when he grabbed you and Cass. You should know that Cass asked for you have Sanctuary and we gave it. So you didn't have to run," he added as Luke continued to stitch him up.

Then Luke got to his arm and Griz growled with a nasty snarl as it was set and braced. But that was the last of it.

He shook his head over the antibiotics and got to his feet to head upstairs, pausing next to Saoirse to look at her head with her ears pinned back, "You could have at least said goodbye to me... I think I deserved that much before you left... Leaving me like that made me feel lower than a booty call..." he told her softly then headed on towards his room.

On his way, he had one of the enforcers write out a report to send to Egan, letting him know what was going on. Then he went on upstairs, checked on Cass who was asleep in is room, then went on to his own room, closed the door, and simply dropped onto the bed, pulled the sheet over his waist, and put his unbroken arm over his eyes.

He really wasn't a happy bear... And now he was a grumpy bear in his cave... Usually when he was like this, only Egan or Wind or the cubs could approach him. But this time, everyone in the house was giving him a wide berth...  

[MzDuchess]

Saoirse’s lips pulled back in a silent snarl when he gave her the antibiotic shot. She’d never had one so it caught her off guard slightly at first. After a few moments, the pain faded and she relaxed her haunches once more. Just in time it would seem because no sooner did he finish checking her wounds did a female burst inside the small room. Whirling around at the abrupt intrusion, Saoirse sent a warning growl towards the other woman who hesitated only a moment before she focused her attention not on Saoirse but Luke.

Griz was coming back? Did that mean that he defeated Galen? And what exactly is this tranq they were speaking of. It was at this time that the human portion of the lioness started to re-emerge from the depths of her subconscious. Opening her mouth to ask what a tranq was, she was startled when a whining chuff came out instead. For a moment there she had forgotten that she couldn’t talk in this form but before she could wrestle control away long enough to shift back, Griz came stumbling through the door.

The energy he was giving off set off her hackles, and her fur stood on end as she scooted out of the way. Backing into the far corner, she watched as Luke started attending to the bear’s wounds which were plenty. The sounds of whispered conversations drifted in her ears since she was now closer to the door and she couldn’t help but send out a silent snarl at the gawking women. When they continued to hover and whisper, not paying an ounce of attention to the lioness, she huffed before turning back towards the two males in front of her. It was then she met Griz’s furious gaze.

Flinching backwards at his tone, Saoirse’s ears went flat against her head as she hunched over slightly. She had lowered her eyes yet, but the urge to do so was strong. Instead, she listened to what he had to say about Galen and their fight. So he had run off? That is not like her brother at all. She may have underestimated Griz after all, but he was still definitely underestimating Galen. Her brother was ruthless and vindictive. If her bear thought this would be the end of it for a while, then he was sorely mistaken.

All these thoughts flittered across her mind as she accessed what to do next. On one hand, all three males had a point, but on the other… Galen might leave them alone if she went to him willingly. She was what he wanted after all, and just maybe it would be enough.

Saoirse was startled out of her thoughts when a shadow suddenly loomed over her and she looked up at Griz’s form. Her ears were still pinned back but there was a defiant flicker in her blue eyes at their gazes met. His words, however, knocked all defiance out of her body and she could do nothing as he walked away from her. Confusion settled into her mind, causing her body to become heavy with thoughts and doubt as she internally debated on what to do next. She was so torn on what the right move was in regard to her staying or not but her young cub was right, as was Griz. Her bear deserved to hear her apology and reasoning first-hand.

Finally deciding on a path for the moment, she glanced back at Luke once before padding after Griz. When the women standing outside of the medical room door didn’t move out of her way fast enough, she hissed and took a swipe at them which caused them to scatter rather quickly. Feeling satisfied with running everyone off, she headed towards Griz’s room. She hesitated outside of Cass’s door but decided that when she left, she would seem him then.

Approaching her bear’s door, she could still smell traces of both of them from earlier this morning. The scent teased her nose before wrapping itself around her body and causing a tightening in her chest. She knew she was probably un-welcome in his sanctuary right now, but he needed to hear what she had to say. Then afterwards, she would leave him be.

Finally, she shifted from her lioness form back into that of a human before easing the door open and slipping in quietly before closing the door. Hesitating by the entryway, she waited for a few beats before taking a step towards the wounded bear. “Griz.. You were right. I shouldn’t have just left this morning like that. You do deserve better.” She murmured quietly, shame glinting in her eyes.








ωɦε૨ε: Sanctuary
ฬเtђ: Luke
мσσ∂: Sad, Determined, Frightened
ωεα૨เɳɠ: OUTFIT




Red Gypsy

 

[Red Gypsy]

MzDuchess

Griz knew the moment she stopped outside his door but didn't move when she entered and started her apology. He considered what to say and his first choices came up empty. So he gave a heavy sigh, "You should have given me a chance... You apparently didn't think I deserved that much..." he said softly.

His emotions were all over the place. He was mad at her, he was still attracted to her, he wanted to kiss her, he wanted to shake some sense into her, he wanted to boot her out of his room, he wanted to pull her onto the bed and kiss her senseless, he wanted...

He gave another sigh and sat up against the headboard so that he could look at her, casually tossing her one of his shirts because he couldn't have this talk with her naked. He waited until she put on the clean shirt before speaking again then gestured for her to sit on the end of the bed.

"I've never treated a female the way you treated me and neither has anyone else in this house, despite the commentary and rumors you might hear. After I hit puberty, my mother had to pay a courtesan for my first time because no female would have me. I'm just too big, in every form. Later on, I learned how to do that on my own. But I always left them feeling alot better than I felt this morning. Last night, you gave me every impression that I'd treated you right, that you would stay..." he started, throwing what was left of his dignity out the window.

He ran his good hand through his hair and shook his head, mainly at himself, "I don't know why I let myself believe it... I guess I thought that if Egan could find someone... two someones now... That I might have a chance... Thanks for pointing out that I was wrong... Guess I needed the lesson... Don't worry, though, I'm a big boy and I'll get over it..." he continued then got down to business.

He changed the subject, "I can see it on your face, you know... So i'll let you know that he's at least as badly hurt as I am, if not more. When he left, he was coughing up blood and will probably be peeing blood for a week. He's cut, clawed, and bitten up. But he'll have to heal up the hard way. He doesn't have a pack that will help him heal up. I'll be back in shape in two to three days, less if I can get a pile of them going in here. I know he'll be back. But by then, I'll have my Alpha here and I'll have backup. I know he'll be coming after me, no matter what you do. But I'll be ready for it. And I will kill him. Maybe not immediately, but I will do it. For Cass, and for you," he hoped she'd respect the business side of things, though he wasn't sure she would at this point, "I've been an Enforcer for various animal groups since I was about 14. I had the size for it. Later, I had the training. I could have killed the b*****d this time but he cheated and ran off like a coward. I know he'll be back. I'm counting on it," he finished that part with a steady gaze and hoped she'd finally get the point.

Another brief moment as he fingered a bruise on his jaw, "There's always a meal in the kitchen and you have full rights to it as well as clothing, which should have been set up in your room by now. When you're injuries have healed up, you can have weapons and provisions. You should have plenty of time to run while he's focusing on getting rid of me. But if you'll excuse me for now, I need to get some sleep so I can heal up..." he finished then slid back down on the bed.

He had a raging headache trying to land and laying down helped that.

Besides, he could still see it on her face...

"I know you only have confidence in him... So I'll just leave it alone... Right now, I'm tired, my emotions are all over the place, I'm injured, and I'm hurt. And right now, I'm considering something I'd hoped I'd be able to give up. I'll have to go see him tomorrow and see how if I can get a new contract... But I'll need at least a little sleep so this arm will finish setting. So if you have something else to say, say it..." he finished, fully ready to give up on alot right now.

As for the contract he was talking about, he'd explain it, but he was hoping that he wouldn't have to.

Besides, if she was talking, his head might stop hurting...  

[MzDuchess]

Saoirse flinched as his words hit her straight in the heart. She never meant to make him feel like he was nothing. He was everything! Never in her life had she had someone who had shown the kindness and caring that he had offered. And offered freely with no expectations. And she took advantage of that. Of him. And without even thinking, she had destroyed it all in a blink of an eye.

Her eyes teared up, but she hid their evidence by finally lowered her gaze as she put on the t-shirt, he had thrown her way. Biting her lip, she worried the end of the overly large shirt in her hands before slowly making her way towards the bed. She hesitated briefly as she searched his face for the answers, she sought but knew she didn’t deserve. Finally, after a few tense moments she sat on the end of his bed, curling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them.

Like Cass, he started telling her a little about himself and why her actions this morning had hurt him so deeply. Sadness along with regret welled in her chest, but she bit her cheek to keep it all inside. She knew the moment she had left she had made a mistake, but she thought she was still doing the right thing. All her life, all she had ever done was survive and run. It’s all she knew how to do. She didn’t know how to be a mother or a mate, or hell – how to be around normal people. Her brother had kept her secluded once they finally made it back to their human forms and before that, she was a lioness for nearly 2 decades. But how was he to know the real reason why she ran this morning? He wouldn’t have because she had never taken the time to tell him. True, they’ve only known each other a little over 24 hours, but it felt so much longer than that.

Long minutes passed as she continued to listen to him but kept her gaze firmly tucked away from his. It wasn’t until he changed subjects and mentioned his fight with Galen. Finally, her eyes slowly rose to meet his still angry brown ones as she listened to his account of what happened. So Galen had run away after all. That was highly irregular, but maybe what Griz and Cass had been saying all along was true. She was safe here. They were all safe here and that she should stay. But..

“I-“ she started to say but he cut her off by essentially telling her that she was welcome to do anything but stay in here. Yes, she could help herself to clean clothes, or a bath and make sure to take enough supplies to last her while she ran but is that what she really wanted? Was she running because she was scared or was it because that is all she knew how to do? Or was it both? She was unsure, but when he slid back down to his bed letting her know that he was ending the conversation – she nodded demurely.

Slipping off his bed, Saoirse padded quietly towards the door but as soon as her hand touched the knob she stopped. “Galen is my brother.” She murmured softly. Emotions warred inside her, but the need to right this wrong she had done was the most prominent and the lioness knew that no matter what, she couldn’t leave without fixing this. Turning around to face him, Saoirse waited until she held his complete attention before continuing.

“Galen is my brother. He also thinks I'm his mate and we are the last of our tribe.” She said, her voice a little bit louder but it still had a slight wobble to it. Swallowing thickly, she took a step towards him once more before laying all her sins out to him.

“We spent nearly 2 decades as lions, out in the wild – living away from humans and civilization. At first, it wasn’t by choice but by the fact that our shaman before she died forced our shifts in order to save us since we were so young and had only each other. I was 7 and he was 12. For 20 years we spent this way until finally I learned how to shift back. I was so ecstatic that I wanted to share it with Galen, but when I told him he didn’t act excited or happy. I didn’t understand it, but after spending my whole life reading his lion’s body language, I could tell his feelings on the matter. Eventually he transformed into a human as well and we went into the nearest village to buy clothes and other human things. It was around this time that Galen started acting weird, but I was so excited to finally have a real bath with soap that I didn’t think about his behavior until that night.”

She stopped right beside the bed and gazed down at her wounded mountain man. Her hands were balled into tight fists as she forced herself to finish her story. He had the right to know that he wasn’t the damaged one here – she was.

“Galen and I had never really been apart from one another for long periods of time before, but I was nearing my 27th year and wanted to experience life like a woman my age should and I couldn’t do that with my brother hanging around. So I slipped his watch to go find a male and satisfy this new hunger I had. Only – Galen found me before we were finished, and I watched my brother murder that male with his bare hands. His ‘human’ hands. I was in so much shock, that I didn’t snap out of it until we were far away from that village. In order to keep from being caught, Galen said we needed to be lions for a little bit.. so I shifted. It was another year before we finally shifted back. During that year as lions, things between my brother and I changed. I don’t know when or how it happened.. but..” she stopped. Tears welled up in her eyes and silently slid down her cheeks. It took her a few moments to work her nerve up to tell Griz what happened next, but she as soon as her chin stopped quivering, she continued.

“The last night I saw him was the night his lion attacked my lioness. I didn’t understand what was happening, but she did, and she fought with everything she had but he eventually overpowered her. Once the morning came, I finally shifted back to my human form and gathered what little supplies we had left and made a run for it. I’ve been running ever since. He almost caught me in the last town before I came to this one. He slaughtered a whole clan to get to me. It was why I left this morning. I’ve seen the destruction he can bring, and I wanted to spare you and Cass that. If I had known he was so close, I would have never come here to begin with. .. But with that being said, Griz, you have to know that I do not regret what happened with you last night or this morning. Being with you, well.. I didn’t know it could be like that. It was very nice.” she said, her gaze finally dropping his own.

There she had told him her darkest secret and laid it all out for him. He was so worried about his size that he didn’t realize he had been with someone who had been damaged and ruined. Now maybe he would understand her reasoning for running and possibly forgive her when she did it again.








ωɦε૨ε: Sanctuary
ฬเtђ: Griz
мσσ∂: Sad, Determined, Frightened
ωεα૨เɳɠ: OUTFIT




Red Gypsy

 

[Red Gypsy]

MzDuchess

Griz listened to her, hearing her out before he reacted. He sat up and put his fingers gently around her wrist then pulled her in close enough that he could snag her around the waist to pull her into the bed with him. He settled her in with her head on his chest as he laid back down, his broken arm around her waist so that she wouldn't be able to bolt right off.

"We all have pasts when we come here... But Wind made one rule: We don't judge others based on their past. We give everyone a new chance at a new life. We defend each other, we don't tear each other down," he told her softly then rubbed his cheek against her head, his facial hair catching in her hair a bit.

He briefly noted that he'd need to shave, but that would have to wait until the claw marks healed. Then he pushed that thought back and moved his hand up from her waist to her shoulder then back down. The arm was fractured by now and healing, instead of fully broken. His shifts had fixed it that much, at least.

After a moment of simply holding her, he spoke again, "Do for me what no one else has... Give me a chance... Believe in me and help me fight him... You deserve to be defended, to be able to choose... I'm asking you to choose me, to fight for us and a chance at happiness..." he whispered to her softly, closing his hazel eyes as he took a chance and begged for something he didn't have a right to have...

"You deserve so much more than you've been given. I'm mad and hurt right now but I still want to give you everything you've been denied, I still want to ask you to stay with me. I don't deserve it and I know I'm not good enough for you, but I still want it and I'm still asking for it.

"You're a fighter in your own right, Saoirse, but your insane brother keeps making you forget that. There are ways to put him down and keep him down. I can teach you how to do that and you can fight back when he shows up again. But only if you stay..." he offered her, still in that soft whisper as he held her next to him.

Yes, he was asking her to stay with him, to fight for a chance to stay with him. Even if she only got a little while with him, wouldn't it be worth it? Who knew? Maybe she'd even get to see that lionskin rug on the floor...

But she'd have to take the chance...