kasai
It had been a long journey home. Aldan was particularly quiet, only glancing at Yorshka occasionally during their travels. During the time they had traveled home, Kristanf had made it very clear he intended to keep Yorshka for himself. She was a pale beauty after all, and he needed her for his little thrall collection.

The winged seer did not allow that. While he didn’t fight the male physically, in private he told the older adult that Yorshka was his. (Aldan shuttered claiming the female as property).

That was when Kristanf got the idea. “Prove it.” He had said to Aldan, causing the male to blanch. “She is only yours once you break her in. If you don’t, she is free claim to anyone. And if you don’t do it soon, someone else,” a suggestive look from the elder, “might end up doing it.”

Aldan gulped as they approached the borderlands. He glanced at Kristanf, who seemed to still be watching their newest thrall with all the interest. He shook his head. He couldn’t do this.

When the band disbanded at the border, both Aya and the captain went one way, leaving the three remaining party members.
“Let’s go Aldan. Time to show your thrall who’s boss.”


Slowly Yorshka sat herself down, as far from the group as she could without being rounded back in, her fatigued frame and feet settled roughly against the earth as she did her best to hold up her weight, despite being completely exhausted. Still, the lioness would try. She needed to be strong.

When the party started to disband her eyes narrowed back to Aldan, who was speaking to Kristanf privately, the two seemed so... close. This made the lioness bristle, her heart beating slowly in her chest. Yorshka felt so tired. Would this nightmare ever end? Had they arrived? No one was telling her anything. All she could do was wait until Alan came to talk to her, or at least she hoped he was the one who would approach her.

If Kristanf did... she wasn't sure how safe she was going to be. So, she waited, lost someplace between sleep and dissolution.

kasai
Aldan's ears pinned at Kristanf's comment. He didn't want to do this. His heart beat erratically as he thought of running. However, fleeing only meant Yorshka would be in the claws of Kristanf. Aldan could not have that.

So he nodded to the male, but was quick in his step to approach the lighter female. "We...we're home." Aldan said quietly to Yorshka. "Your new home..."

"Yeah, yeah, enough chit chat. This way." The pale lion commanded taking a step into the lands, down a less traveled path slightly overcome with weeds and grasses. "There's a...quaint little place you two can...chat." The sinister tone could make anyone's fur bristle at it. Aldan's was.

He...agreed though. "Please...trust me..." Aldan pleased to Yorshka, a paw extending as he expected her to follow the older male. "I'll explain everything to you once out of his ear shot." The seer advised with a sigh, finally following until Kristanf had stopped at the lonesome den seemingly built into a hill.


Even if she had protested would anything change? She couldn't say no, so with heavy paws she followed Aldan, though, her eyes would never reach his. The pale beauty kept her gaze closer to the ground, finding solace in the tiny blades of grass she tried not to bend as her paws moved one in front of the other, repetition keeping her mind busy and far from panicked thoughts.

However, when the younger male spoke her heart skipped a beat. What was this? Did he have a way to help free her? Had he been plotting in secret this whole time? Perhaps her friend was still on her side..

"Okay..." Her reply came wrapped in a whisper as she followed him blindly, stopping once they settled at a place far from anyone else. This felt strange, why did they have to come all the way out here?

Her blue eyes fixed on Aldan's back as she stood behind him, trying to hide herself from the larger male's wicked gaze.

kasai
Kristanf paused at the den entrance, the wicked smirk ever present on his maw. He lowered his head when Aldan approached. "You know what to do. I will be right out here to assure you don't wuss out. Only until I am satisfied will I leave." He glanced at the beauty of Yorshka before him, entertainment in his pale eyes. "Don't keep me waiting long or else our deal is void."

Kristanf straightened up, sitting not too close to the entrance.

Aldan couldn't help but narrow his eyes as Kristanf spoke quietly to him. His lip raised but he nodded. "Come on Yorshka," He said, entering the den, hoping the female would quickly follow.

Once inside, he moved to the back to the den. He hoped it would be far out of sound from the reaver sitting near the entrance.

Finally, the male turned to her. "I am sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I didn't think this...this was the way that we took thralls. My dad never had one, and the ones I know were born in and are happy. I didn't know our kind took others from their home...or...." his voice faltered, staring at Yorshka.

"I...I am so sorry what...what he is making me do. But...But if it isn't me...it's him... I don't want him to do that to you..."


When she sat down he started to explain himself, and the more he spoke the more she started to understand, at least on his part - his lack of understanding. If Aldan had no idea that this was a normal thing, could she really be that upset at him? His family wasn't like this, they didn't keep thralls or slaves... whatever they wanted to call it, he had never had one. It was like she was trying to convince herself that what he was saying made some of this better. Made his lack of courage justified. It didn't, not fully, but she could sympathize. Yorshka knew deep down he wasn't cruel, Aldan did have a good heart.

He unfortunately was stationed under someone far less kind.

She at least felt a little less upset at him, if the red-haired lion was being completely honest with her... she would have to accept this as his truth and the reason why he had little to no power when it came to freeing her from capture. Still, her heart ached for the both of them.

"I understand... I don't want him to hurt you because of me - but I also don't want him to hurt me. I want us both safe, Aldan. How can we be safe with him standing guard?"

What he was saying now felt a little more confusing. What was he talking about? Her eyes narrowed as he spoke, tail tucking around her side.

"What is he making you do, Aldan? What do you mean...." Blue eyes would stare right through him, waiting for an answer she couldn't fathom.

kasai
She...understood? That threw the male off guard. It showed with his wide-eyed, confusion stare he gave her. "I would never want anyone to hurt you. I know our kind is war-liked," it was a little detail Aldan never mentioned to Yorshka. He assumed it was a need to know basis, and she didn't really need to know it during their meetings. "But..."

Aldan was sure he was going to start hyperventilating soon. All this stress, all this anxiety. It was starting to implode.

"He says he'll leave, but...but only...only if..." His voice constricted as panic start to set in. Breathe. Aldan. Breathe.

Here this adolescent was, one that wasn't of the touchy feely sorts, thrown into this situation he never would have thought. Even if he was fully grown, did he think this would ever happen.

"He...says I need to 'break' you." He used the term that Kristanf had first told him a few nights prior. "He...wants me to mate with you to 'show you who's boss'." He explained, finally letting the cat out of the bag. "He said if I didn't, he would. I...I agreed to it. But only because I wanted to keep you safe from him!" He glanced towards the opening of the den, worried the devil himself would be entering at any moment.

"Please...please forgive me. I didn't...I didn't want any of this." he couldn't bring himself to look at her blue eyes. He looked away towards the wall instead, his form shaking slightly.


There is was, the dagger to her heart. How could anyone ever agree to something so exceptionally atrocious? It was sadistic - pure and simple. No other words would be able to describe it. She could feel her whole body tense up as she moved herself away from him, creating a little distance between the two as he continued to speak, using words like "break". Yorshka could have vomited if she had anything in her stomach.

"Aldan...." her words passed her with a soft quiver, her tone low and empty.

"I've never done that before. I don't think I want to right now..." The lioness needed to make herself perfectly clear, even with threat of being assaulted by Kristanf looming over her every word, the lioness couldn't help but try to reason with herself. This was... too cruel.

"...I know you haven't ever done this to anyone, I know you don't want to do this to me." She gulped, her eyes moving from his frame, trailing to the entrance of the den. Would she be able to kill Kristanf if she tried? Maybe that was going to be her only choice.

But what if she couldn't, and he easily disarmed her... what if he assaulted her anyway and punished Aldan for her act of defiance? She could feel tears swell up in her eyes, the stains from the ones washing away as they started to run down her white cheeks. She felt dirty.

"This isn't how it's suppose to be. We should never be forced to do this... this isn't natural. This isn't right. This... this isn't..." Nothing she could say would change it. She could willing do this with him, or be forced under Kristanf's hand... and she knew he would be far less kind. Her eyes krept back to Aldan's, even if he wouldn't look at her face-forward.

"....You don't even love me, let alone know me well enough to do this." At those words she found herself silently crying, looking away from him again. The shame was overwhelming.

"What choice do I have?" The question was redundant - she already knew the answer.

kasai
The young reaver couldn't help but wince at her words. He didn't know here, how could he love someone he didn't know? No, it wasn't natural. He was sure if his family had caught wind of this, they would likely disown him, or throw him off a cliff.

At this point, Aldan thought both quite a good option than the current situation at hand.

While he was visibly shaking, he found whatever courage he could muster and approached the lioness.

"I don't want to do this just as much as you don't want to do this. We...we don't have too." he said softly. However, there was an implication if they didn't, there would be far worse consequences likely for the female. Defeated, the male finally glanced at the female.

"I won't do anything to you that you don't want me to." If he had to fight Kristanf the moment he barged in, he would. But, he was weak compared to the more seasoned lion. Even two against one likely wasn't going to be helpful.


She sat for a long time in silence, thinking over the situation they two found themselves in and everything that had lead her to this place right now. Nothing could change it, no one could save them, they sadly sat at the mercy of a sadistic beast, not one of them would leave this place unscathed. Her eyes rolled back to his as he spoke, his tone bringing nothing but sorrow to her ears. The lioness sat still before speaking out, his final words causing her to interject.

"I know." If anything, she was thankful it was Aldan who was here with her. Yes, she was mad at him and thought he was a coward when it came to defending her, yet she understood his situation far better now, the ranks and hierarchy here felt so sound, the young lion would be a fool to try to challenge them. Aldan couldn't take on the world for her - and it would be unfair of her to ask.

"Alright." Her voice was clear, even though hints of sadness still draped across her over all demeanor.

"... If this is going to happen... I'm glad it's you." Nothing anyone could say would make this better, but somehow she found comfort in her friend, even if he had let her down, even if he had been too weak to save her... maybe she needed to save herself. If this was going to keep them both whole...

"We can go slow... okay?" Yorshka wasn't sure how any of this even worked. This was a topic she knew very little about, but she would to figure it out so that they could both walk away with minor emotional scars. That's.. how this worked, right? In truth she had no idea what was going to happen. All she could do was hope and take a shot in the dark.

"...Don't ever let him touch me. No matter what happens here, don't ever let him take me from you." These were her final words, followed by a look of pure defeat. If they did this only to have the larger male attack her right after... the lioness didn't know what she would do. This wasn't romantic but it was all they had.

"Keep me safe." At this command she turned herself away from him, breathing in deeply. This would be over soon.

kasai
Was she...really agreeing to this?

Aldan didn't know what sort of feelings were coursing through his body, but he didn't like them. It was not happiness, more so sadness, anxiety, stress, confusion, depression? Everything was waddling up together. He was surprised he wasn't a hot mess pile on the ground.

His words were at a lost when she spoke to him. All he could do was nod. He took one final glance towards the den entrance, making sure the shadow hadn't wandered in, before he let out of a sigh.

"I promise he won't touch you." He only hoped he could keep to that promise. For now though, he had to muster the courage to get through this next act.

For the first time in his life, Aldan reached out to touch the female's paw. The contact only brought slight comfort to him,.

"I will keep you safe." He murmured, pulling the female closer to him.