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 Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 8:35 pm
 Iosef didn't tarry on his way to meet with the lynx, precisely, but he did take a slightly wider path than he normally might, to allow his companion some time to catch his breath. Tui looked about ready to faint, and the calico-wolf was concerned that he had not made the wisest choice in bringing him here -- not because he would be unwelcome, but because he might be so desperately unhappy.
"You did well," he said, reassuringly, glancing back at Tui to cast him a warm smile. "Are you alright?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:03 pm
Though he didn't feel like he was breaking down, Tui found there was a tremor going through his entire body that he couldn't quite tamp down. Speaking with Penthesilea had been almost everything in a first meeting that he most feared, and it seemed his body didn't believe that it had made it clear of danger, yet. He looked belatedly up at Iosef's question, remembering and forgetting several times over to breathe, to take deep breaths. "I'm all right," he half-whispered, though he obviously wasn't. Glancing around with wide eyes, he sped up to walk nearer to his mentor. "Who is Cleite?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:13 pm
 With an afternoon of training complete and the other sisters dispersed to various duties Cleite was making sure everything was ready for the next training session before leaving he grounds. She was still panting a bit, though not overly heavy, after the good workout they had done and was looking forward to perhaps having a short rest as she didn't have any duties to attend to until a little later. Perhaps she could go on a little hunt, though best to check in on the queen first to see if she needed anything.
Turning she began to walk away from the training grounds though almost instantly she spotted Iosef, and some strange scraggly wolf walking with him. Padding forward at a quick pace Cleite got closer to the pair before coming to a stop. She eyed the strange male and then looked at Iosef. Her body was on full alert, ready to jump into action at the drop of a pin, but outwardly he pose looked relaxed to the untrained eye. "Iosef." She said in a voice that practically dripped with the unasked question of 'What the hell is going on here?'
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:17 pm
"A lynx," he said, his voice low. "The queen's trusted companion." He may have elaborated, but was interrupted by the appearance of the lynx herself. He nodded to her, assuming a position of submission, hoping Tui would do the same -- although, given Tui's general demeanor, it seemed rather likely that he would.
"This is Tui," he said, with a slight twitch of the body to indicate the other male without moving much himself. "He...has offered himself in service to the sisters. The Queen has ordered that I show him the ways of our pack. And requested that you oversee it...if you have the time." He glanced up at her, offering a ghost of a smile.
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:27 pm
Tui sank into a diminutive crouch, taking in the cat's appearance from the sidelines of his vision. His stomach knotted unpleasantly, but he noted with some relief that she didn't seem quite so wrathful as the Queen. His Queen, he intoned, trying to wrestle the idea into the mainstream of his consciousness.
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:33 pm
Cleite nodded at Iosef's words. So this was to be a new slave huh. Turning her attention to the other male, this Tui, she cast her eyes over her judgmentally. Well he honestly looked like a pile of bones and skin, he was actually quite sad looking even for a slave. Cleite hoped for all of their sake that he could actually do the jobs required of him or she would be wasting her time and effort supervising the pair. There were questions that she wished to ask but deiced to hold them back, there was still work to be done and she could ask they while the slaves performed their tasks.
"Very well then. I have the remainder of the afternoon off. Where is your next job?" She questioned, though she more or less expected him to answer her in heading towards that job than a vocal reply.
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:48 pm
Iosef considered this for a fleeting moment -- thinking in part what his duties were for the day, but also debating what would be the easiest thing to teach Tui to do. He recognized that Cleite's question was not one that required an answer, and was satisfied to turn in the general direction of his afternoon's duty.
He had, of course, already disposed of the remnants of the pack's most recent kill, or he would have started there. He settled instead for the next option: clearing out Tui's sleeping quarters.
"We've got some dens that need to be cleared out," he said, in a low voice, addressing Tui -- keeping his voice quiet not to hide anything he said from Cleite, but because he hoped it might calm Tui down a little after being yelled at. Well, not that Penthesilea had yelled, precisely, but...Iosef himself was feeling slightly traumatized, so he could imagine. He wasn't used to getting in trouble. "We'll start with yours, so you know where to sleep." And because it won't matter if you screw up, he added silently. "Then, when you get the hang of it, we can work on some of the others, to get them ready for the Sisters when they return." Because Iosef was confident that the pack would be reunited wholly and completely. He even believed that, if his sister Varia was still alive anywhere in the world, Penthesilea would be the one to find her and bring her back.
Afraid as he was of many things, Iosef's optimism was sometimes boundless.
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 10:15 pm
Tui followed after, Iosef's soothing voice a balm on his panicked state of mind. His heart still wouldn't stop jumping, but the tremor in his paws had quieted, and his perception of the world was beginning to fade from the vivid technicolor of fear. That was the hard part, wasn't it? He knew how to clean, and keep out of the way, and if he could do that and stick like glue to Iosef's side all the while, then things would have to get better. He swallowed, unable to believe his own reassurance, and focused on absorbing everything Iosef said, instead.
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 10:24 pm
Nodding slightly Cleite took up a place behind the two slaves, not because they outranked her, but because she was allowing Iosef to lead the way to the dens. The pack still had many empty dens so she was unclear as to which dens he meant to clean out. Paws hit the ground silently behind the two males and she kept her eyes and ears open for any threats. It was still not known if that would be assassin was lurking in the shadows or if any other wolf would try an attack.
"So Tui," she said after they had been walking for a bit. "Tell me about yourself." It may have seemed like a way to have some idle chatter while they walked, but it was more of a way of gathering info on this new wolf. And the way she said it indicated it wasn't one of those times to answer with 'oh there's nothing to tell really,' for Cleite wished to know everything.
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 10:32 pm
"You'll be in the den furthest from the others," he said, as he neared the location -- which was actually rather near where they had met to begin with, now he noticed it. He began to explain further, but Cleite had spoken, and he fell silent immediately, feeling a sympathetic twinge for Tui. He suspected that telling his life story was likely not something the other wolf would be up to, especially not to an imposing figure like the lynx.
Then again...Iosef was curious as well, despite himself, and he cocked an ear interestedly to see what, if anything, Tui could bring himself to say.
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:00 pm
The lynx's words faltered his steps, and his paws stumbled against each other as they came up to his lonely little den. He had just been thinking it was a minor blessing that he would have some space from his newfound Sisters, when Cleite laid upon him that disguised order. He turned his head slowly to look at her, reluctance and a fear of disobedience pinching his face tight. He opened his mouth and looked for a place to start, tried to find a spin to put on his life that wouldn't get him thrown out like garbage. "Well, I...I'm from a very long way away." He blinked nervously, his gaze fluttering over to Iosef, and back down. "I grew up with just my mom and my sister," --his voice quavered, to his shame, "but they left when I was pretty young." He looked again at Iosef, hoping that they could begin working, that he could become distracted and not tell his life story in one long sentence. "They didn't treat me very well," he said gingerly, touching an open wound, "so I thought maybe, it would be better somewhere else." He winced, well aware of how intensely miserable he must seem. "I didn't used to be this skinny, but, I ran a really long way." And he stared at his feet and lapsed into blushing silence, hoped that would be enough.
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:05 pm
They had something in common, at least; the only males in a family, though Iosef was certain that he had been treated better by his family. Well...then again, he wondered what Tui's definition of 'not being treated well' was; he suspected that, if he was willing to live as a slave, it must have been pretty bad.
He remained silent, to allow Cleite time to respond if she wished, and set immediately to his duties, ducking inside the den. It was old, and unused, and supremely dusty. Also, from the smell of it, something had been left in her to rot not so long ago...which suggested that, somewhere, creature had taken up residence in it that was not welcome.
Ah well. At least it would keep them busy.
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Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 11:13 am
Tui's small explanation of his life story may not have seemed much to others, but from the way he spoke of things and his seemingly aversion to expanding on others too much Cleite got an even greater idea of just who this wolf was. So he had been mistreated quiet badly when he was younger and then was left on his own. Her eyes roamed over his gaunt body, and while yes she knew that life as a loner could be tough Cleite knew that many wolves could at least feed themselves to keep up their strength. Perhaps he had been left behind at such a young age that he never learned to hunt.
Reaching the den, Cleite sat down not far from the entrance, giving the pair plenty of room to work. Her ears constantly swiveled about listening for anything and everything that could be a threat. With Iosef leading the way in the work Cleite sat silently for a few moments longer before asking her next question. "So you believe that a life of servitude to the sisters is the best choice?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 8:04 pm
Tui wavered at the mouth of the den, unsure of whether to follow his mentor or stay and answer to his superior. Upon seeing her turn to leave them to their duties, though, he ducked in after Iosef, his face pinching slightly at the garbage smell lurking there. Even so, he had not had a den so thoughtfully excavated since...since a long time ago. He blinked, his perpetual anxiety fading back to woodenness, and went to search out the dead thing in his bed.
He had just spied a gnarled mess of either sticks and leaves or bones and skin when Cleite spoke to him again. His nerves jangled up again, though not so badly as when he was interviewed by Penthesilea, nor when he was asked about what had brought him here. He stood still, trying to herd his thoughts into order, so that he could pick an answer that didn't sound uppity. How frank was he supposed to be with the Sisters? What on earth did they know about being in the position he and Iosef were in? "I guess, I would have to say, I never know if I'm making the best choice," he admitted, speaking humbly over his bony shoulder, "but I'd never heard of a pack like this." He was quiet for a moment, again not knowing the extent of honesty he was supposed to apply. "It seemed better suited to me than the usual kind of pack," he decided, his worried eyes searching out the lynx's reaction.
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Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:43 pm
It made perfectly good sense to Iosef. Then again, of course it would, for he had chosen the same life for himself. Being told what to do, having a schedule and meaningful work to do, the absolute protection of those stronger...who wouldn't want such a life? What weak-bodied wolf would not jump at the chance?
Wolves like Iosef and Tui were not destined for power. They were too weak, in their own way; they would never dominate, never rise in rank. In any pack, they would always be at the bottom of the ladder.
So why not choose the protection of a pack of those strong in mind and body?
But he wasn't sure that Cleite could understand that. He wasn't sure that anyone could understand that, who hadn't been through it themselves.
Part of him wanted to step up, to speak on Tui's behalf, but he knew it was not his place, and so he busied himself instead on digging into the grime in one corner, rooting about for the creature that had nested here.
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