Tailung was very badly injured following his fight with Ulfric, and he had no one to help him manage his pain, or help him flee. And he hated to flee. He had lived so long with nothing but vengeance on his mind, the last thing he wanted to do was have more cause for it, more enemies to face, more debt to repay. He wanted to settle his scores and be free to do whatever it was he wanted and needed to do, but he could not. Not with folks like that lion around, butting in where they were not needed and injuring him so heavily. He would have to hide, bide his time, heal. He could not face Kita or his former master in this state. And once they were all gone, he would go back and find that lion.
Make sure he suffered properly for the mistake he made in creating this new rivalry.
He had come quiet a distance and no one was chasing him. It was lucky, as he was certain he had caught wind of Kita’s scent back there. She must have stopped to aid the lion, as she was a soft hearted fool sometimes. He knew better than to underestimate her for that, though. As soon as she was able, she would be after him, and he had to get as far from her as he could. So he ran as far as he could, before his bleeding and the pain in his body caught up to him and overwhelmed him. He had to stop and get himself to a safe place to rest. He did not know it, but he had crossed into pride lands belonging to a King who did not have much patience for creatures that were not lions.
Panting heavily, he curled under a tree, seeking shelter and a place to look over his wounds. He saw a hut nearby, a little dome made out of mud and clay. He got up and scooted toward it, not caring if there was someone in it that he would have to fight out. There as not, however, and he was able to curl inside and flop down in a huff, closing his eyes and falling to sleep almost immediately. It was not the safest thing for him to do, as he could continue to bleed and that alone would kill him. Still, he was too exhausted to really think about things like that, and he could not fight against it.
Glaurung was going home around that time, and of course it was his den that Tailung had decided to occupy. He was curled in a corner. At least, as much of a corner as he could find in a mostly circular den. Glaurung walked in with his pouch in his mouth, full of new ingredients for him to experiment with. He dropped his pouch when he realized he was not alone, and a dark, dangerous growl met his ears. He saw eyes in the darkness and took a step back, never being afraid of his own home before. He shook his head, swallowing hard.
“Who’s there? What are you doing in my den?”
“this is my den now,” came the reply. Glaurung heard how tired the voice sounded, and realized that this was probably a case of someone needing help. He moved closer and was able to see the leopard hiding in the shadows. He looked angry and very dangerous, and Glaurung lowered himself to indicate he was not a threat. He was probably about the same size as the leopard, which was not very comforting to him. He wished he was a bit bigger, but it was not his lot in life. So he had to settle and work with what he had. He smiled timidly, ears low, tail low.
“You’re bleeding pretty bad. Do you need help?”
“Yes, and you will help me,” the leopard said in reply, gruff and not leaving much room for argument. Glaurung blinked. He had been willing to offer help, but he was not sure how he liked being ordered around by this guy that thought he was strong and tough, but clearly injured. Glaurung was no fighter but surely he could take some leopard who had already had the crap beaten out of him, right? As if reading his thoughts, Tailung growled darkly enough to make Glaurung’s stomach do some flips. It told him that, even injured, this leopard was not to be messed with. He swallowed hard.
“Ah… yes. I suppose I will. But you cannot stay here: the King does not take to leopards in his lands and will have you removed. If he finds out you are trying to take someone’s den will make it even worse. You could be thrown in the Ravine and never let out.”
“I have been incarcerated before. It did little to stop me,” Tailung growled in return. He got to his feet slowly, with difficulty. The strain just made him more intimidating, as Glaurung was certain that he should not have been standing at all. He swallowed hard and took a step back, which Tailung countered by two steps forward. “And you will not be speaking to any King, so there is no chance for him to find out, is there?”
Glaurung had a sinking feeling that he had gotten himself involved in something that he really should not have. He grimaced and shuddered, then nodded his head slowly. Realizing this might not be the answer Tailung wanted, he shook it feverishly right after. Then he just stopped moving, as he was certain he was just going to get into more trouble if he tried anything else.
How did he get himself in these situations? He had no idea that his sister was in a similar straight, though she was lucky enough not to be involved with someone quite as murderous. And there was no home invasion.
“Uhm. No. I will not say anything to the King… I will help you as best I can.” He had no choice. Tailung, though, seemed to take him at his word and laid down again, closing his eyes to sleep again, but not before ordering Glaurung to tend to his injuries and make sure he woke up again after his nap.
And poor Glaurung had no choice but to listen.
(Word Count: 1,062 in Word)
