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 Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 9:47 am
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Skare jolted awake, panic prompting a sharp inhalation that made his ribs hurt; sharp and instantaneous. Indigo eyes flicked around the dark den, trying to pinpoint the threat. It took a heartbeat to remember that he was nestled beneath heavy furs in Hila's den...technically his as well, inasmuch as his new status made it his official "home".
Spotting the origin of the loud clatter that had roused him so suddenly, he watched Hila pick up a rather large skull, now missing a rather large chunk on one side, muttering her disgust at the damage her own clumsiness had wrought. With a growled "******** stormlords...!" She went to carry it outside, kicking the smaller bits of it that still littered the floor, looking disgruntled. She hesitated at the entrance, looking back at him briefly over her shoulder. Her tone was still rough with annoyance when she spoke again. "If you decide to set foot outside, I recomend staying close, and avoiding others - in your current state, you're an easy mark, and I don't particularly want to have to take payment out of some b*****d whoreson's hide as payment for damaging my property."
Without waiting for a response, she stalked outside. He had just recovered enough that he needed to start moving around, but not enough to do anything but the least taxing of tasks. And so he found himself largely at loose ends when Hila spent most days doing...well, he wasn't sure what, but other than bringing food, and water, and anything else she deemed necessary for his care, she had begun to leave him mostly to his own devices.
She had been in a perpetually bad mood for weeks, something that had had him walking on eggshells. He'd been afraid to even speak to her unless asked a direct question, concerned she might take her temper out on him. He'd just recently begun to relax his guard in the face of her general bad temper, as she had restricted her physical expressions of irritability to inanimate objects. He wasn't sure what had changed in the adolescent's life, he was glad that she had the self control to not take it out on him.
Gingerly, he got to his feet, barely holding back a groan. He swayed, pain narrowing his vision, black spots dancing at the edges of his vision for a moment before slowly clearing. He stepped toward the entrance, only staggering a little bit, and stood for a moment at the entrance, blinking rapidly in the brighter light. The air was crisp, and had more than a little bit of a bite to it, moisure from the sea adding to the chill.
With a small shiver that sent a twinge of pain through him, he grimaced, but hobbled slowly toward a small stream that he had seen a few days earlier, barely a trickle - but enough to allow him to get a drink, and hopefully avoid any trouble.
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 5:25 pm
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Tsvina hummed to herself as she carried a rather sad looking sack in her mouth; hastily put together with different bits of leather, not all that well sealed together with what appeared to be tar. She knew its limits, and was rather skilled at putting just enough things in it for her daily chores without it falling apart. Somehow she had been able to run under the radar of most of the populace of the pride; as a born-in thrall, she didn't necessarily have one single master, and did a variety of chores in her life for the betterment of the Stormborn. There were days that were hard, but today was a mixture of one of her favourite and leave favourite days; stone collecting.
The healers always needed smooth, somewhat flat stones for some of their work, and it was a task that she was skilled enough at that no one watched over her as she fetched the needed stones. She had a little more freedom, but the water was always rather chilly, and it was impossible to fetch good river stones without getting wet.
As she approached a smaller stream to test her luck, she noticed a stranger attempting to take a drink in the pitiful moving water. Who...was he? He was injured, which did not alert her to his rank. He didn't seem to carry the presence of a reaver, certainly not a captain....which could make him a freeborn, a bard, or even a fellow thrall.
She paused for a moment, unsure how to approach this situation. "Ah, excuse me," she finally replied, her little sack dropping to the ground as she spoke. "There is probably more water upstream; it gets weaker the further down the water has to travel...." Why would he try so hard to drink from right here?
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 3:09 pm
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Intent on drinking with minimal pain, Skare hadn't seen (or heard) the other thrall coming, and when she spoke, he jumped. a flash of terror arced through him, and had him whirling to face her, eyes wide and posture defensive. His body protested the sudden movement, prompting an involuntary, quiet grunt. Sides heaving, he stared at her for a heartbeat, then two, sides heaving.
When she did nothing more threatening, his panic slowly receded enough for him to recall what she had actually said. Coughing, as if to cover up (terribly) his cowardice, he then winced again. "Erm...apologies for my....overreaction." he said, his voice tentative, even soft. He forced himself to straighten, as much as he was able to do so, and inclined his head slightly. "And....thank you for the advice, but I am...not at my best, and it was recommended I stay close to my...mistress' lair." The words stuck in his throat, resentment and sorrow rendering him mute, misery clear in his gaze as he stared back at her, exhaling shakily.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 12:50 pm
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The moment that he jumped, fright plastered across his face.... Tsvina realized that he was a thrall. A fresh one, all things considered. She quickly decided to keep her friendly behavior up, assuming that offering him too much pity at his sudden change of lifestyle may frighten him even further. She was very aware that some masters were downright cruel, but she had avoided most cruelty on pure luck and hard work.
“Oh... do you need help?” she asked quietly, letting herself fall back on her haunches for a moment. She did want to approach him, but was rather fearful that he would just again and this time slip into the chilly water. “I may be able to find a husk of...something around here to scoop up some water in something. I should have a little time before I need to report back.”
She tried her best to speak slowly but not stupidly. He looked tired, and though she wasn’t trained in assisting with the healing arts, she had been around enough sick and injured lions to be able to asses if they were on death’s door or not. The cool air may do him some good, as long as he wasn’t out here exposed for too long.
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 10:07 am
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Embarrassment would have had him fleeing, tail tucked between his legs, if he wasn't still so sore...and thirsty. His emotions seemed broken since his attack and subsequent capture, usually ranging from terror, to shame, to anger (both at himself, for not being stronger, and at his attacker and captors, for his current situation), tempered only by the unwelcome sense of gratitude for his life having been saved by the same lioness who had taken his freedom.
This lioness, when she asked if he needed help, represented the first overtly kind words he'd had directed his way since returning to consciousness. It was enough to almost embarrass him further, causing tears to p***k at his eyes. "Thank you, but I wouldn't want to trouble you." The trickle was small, but he had nothing else to do today, aside from hobbling back to the den before he drew too much attention to himself.
After a moment, he continued, hesitantly, knowing that if he was understanding her words incorrectly, he ran the risk of offending her beyond redemption. "Are....you a thrall, as well?" he finally asked, having mustered his courage.
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 3:40 pm
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She kept herself in her sitting position, working under the assumption that it was probably the least threatening thing she could do. It would also give her a moment's rest before she would have to return to her work and deliver the smooth stones before anyone would go looking for her. She waved a paw around, a bit indifferently. "Yeah. Opposite of many thralls, I was born here, so I know the tricks and ways to stay out of the most trouble. I'm sorry if I seem rather insensitive, but this is the only life I know." She shrugged for a moment, considering what it would be like if she was ever able to break out of her thralldom... but that seemed like such an impossible dream.
"So I do what I can to help newcomers like you. If you're allowed to leave your den in that state, your master is rather kind, and a bit of a fool. Is her home close enough by?" Tsvina glanced around, just to make sure there was no one else nearby, before leaning a bit closer towards the creamy lion to lower her voice. "There are many a cruel lions here. Stick close to home and keep your head low, and you should be ok."
Tsvina had seen much in her life. The fact he was a male would help him a bit, unless a captain's wife found him rather handsome. Then he would run the risk if being bought or stolen.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 9:11 pm
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Drawing a deep, shaky breath, he forced back the tears, although his eyes remained glossy. Although she sat, and so seemed unthreatening, he still took an uneasy step back before sitting down as well, violet eyes settling on her warily. He hesitated, wanting to ask how anyone could be so blase about not having the freedom to make choices in regards to their own life, but then bit his tongue, not wanting to chance anyone coming across them and seeing fit to punish him for questioning the practice.
At her next words, he visibly flinched. Kind? While she didn't seem particularly unkind, any of that quality that she might possess was a gruff, passive sort, at best. Clearing his throat, he made an effort to keep his voice steady. "It is. She warned me to stick close to the den, and avoid...trouble." he replied, cautiously.
At Tsvina's warning, his eyes widened slightly - what sort of pride was this, that he'd been cautioned twice in the same day on how cruel its members could be?! He resented the flash of...gratitude that he'd been captured by one who, from all indications was something of a rarity in this violent, cruel hellhole that was apparently now his home. It was enough to make him...not homesick, exactly, since he'd lived a largely nomadic life, but it made him yearn for the naive freedom he'd enjoyed such a short time before. "I...appreciate your warning, and was not planning on wandering any farther than this." he said, his voice dropping to a timid whisper, as if the fear that washed back over him had stripped volume from his already-soft voice.
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