[SRP] I do, I guess. (Ukombozi x Hroovitnir)

[Puhterodactyl]

She... Missed him...
Ok fine, she had to admit it at last. She missed Hroovitnir. He was a d**k and she hated him and he made her have to be his slave, but she missed that d**k slave master. Because he treated her well, and she was his thrall because he was afraid to lose her. Okay, well, that part was super messed up and manipulative. But Ukombozi was pretty messed up herself. She had been stalking Hroovitnir for the past week and whenever she saw him talking to another female, her blood ran cold.

She absolutely hated him.

And she had to have him.

She would just force him to renegotiate their relationship. She would be a freeborn, and MAYBE, SOMEDAY, IF he was lucky, like REALLY LUCKY, his wife. But his first wife. Not some kind of salt wife bush league. It he was lucky. But she believed he had potential. And that's why she missed him. Gah. He was the worst. So she was camped out in the back of his den again. Waiting for him to show up. Lurking. Because that's what an Ukombozi in love did.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Hroovitnir had been entering his den for the past week with the hopes that Ukombozi was hiding back there again. And for days he had been disappointed. He had started hanging around Bryn's den, and she was giving him hell for it, she knew exactly what was up. Ukombozi was close to the women of his family, so they knew everything about his personal life. Which was great. Just wonderful. He got no reprieve between all of them.

He sighed and with his head hung low, he entered his den, prepared again for disappointment and heart break. But the sound of breath and the heavy scent at the back of den filled his body with hope. His head shot up - and into the ceiling. Great, he would have another fracture in addition to the one he probably got from his duel with Phlegyas.

"Ukombozi! You're back! For how long? What do you need? Are you leaving? Please don't go." The words were tumbling out and he sounded like an idiot. Well, all of his cards were on the table, he was wearing his heart on his sleeve. Not that he had a table. Or sleeves.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Ukombozi laughed when he hit his head. Maybe it was mean of her, but she did not really care. It was pretty objectively hilarious, and he deserved it for being such an a** hole on occasion.

"Stop worrying your pretty little head, Hroovitnir. I am not leaving."

She waltzed over to him and rubbed her head under his chin.

"No, I have decided to forgive you. Under one condition. We need to renegotiate our relationship dynamic, okay?" She purred and raised an eyebrow at him. She was pretty self-assured she could get what she wanted if she played him the right way.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Hroovitnir looked at her incredulously. Could he trust her?

"You want me to make you a freeborn, is that right?" He eyed her warily. What if in the past week she had fallen in love with someone else? Well then she should just get whatever new slice of man to do it for her. He recoiled from her touch even though he craved more of her warmth.  

[Puhterodactyl]

"Of course." She looked at him with furrowed brows. What else would she want?

"How else can I choose to be with you if I you have not given me a choice? That's what I came here to talk to you about. I think I want to be with you, Hroovitnir. But I can't be sure if I'm still your thrall…" She flicked her tail, slightly agitated.

"Oh, and I'm not going to be anyone's salt wife. You know and I know that I deserve better than that. I'm not going to be your little salt wife until some better lioness, some freeborn or some reaver or whatever, comes along and then I get tossed to the side like some week old kill." She shook her head.

"No. Absolutely not."  

[Puhterodactyl]

Hroovitnir nodded.

"You are right. You are exactly right. I can't do that to you. I will not do that to you." He watched her closely. Ukombozi had quite the temper, he knew, but he had never been privilege to see it, thankfully. He feared the day in the future when he would feel the lioness' full wrath.

"I will start whatever I can to make you a freeborn. And to make you my wife, if you would have me as your husband…"  

[Puhterodactyl]

Ukombozi gave him a rare smile and nodded, nuzzling up against him again.

"Thank you, my dear. I promise you will not be disappointed. And you do not need to worry. I will not let your slovenly ways overrun OUR den." She rolled over onto her back like a playful cub and pawed at him. She could not be happier at this moment. Things were finally falling into place for this lioness. She had been born into a pride of insanity to a mother who was off the rails and the god of chaos, then whisked away from all she knew in that pride only to be separated from her mother and brother, and then kidnapped into slavery into the Myrsky Stynyt. Even the seer could not have predicted that she would then develop feelings for her captor.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Hroovitnir was elated, too. He cracked a smile, too, and purred. He tenderly pawed at her face. This reality was beyond his wildest dreaming, too. He could only assume that Bryn, Chayah and Kifuani would be happy for them both. Chayah and Kifuani would finally get off of his back for having a thrall, probably, though he toyed with the idea of capturing a new one. Maybe a non-lion this time, one he could not fall in love with. Yeah, that would probably be more wise. But he wondered what was next for the two of them, once Ukombozi became free? Oh, gods, what if they had cubs??! He must have made some kind of face at the thought of little cubs running around, biting faces and crying all the time and pooping everywhere because Ukombozi laughed at him. Well, they would take it as it came, he supposed. But right now, they were happy.

the end
word count: 1062