PM to join It All Ends The Same

[Redd]

x

After her struggles with the three men inside of the floating thing, they had finally managed to pull both her arms back to place chains around her wrists, pinning her hands behind her back. The young wolf couldn't help the smirk that fell back upon her lips as they all took their places back around her in the floating thing.

Baser instinct told her that this meant that they were scared of her, even though they had the numbers against her and even though her injuries were causing her some grief. This she could probably use to her advantage. Fear, any kind of fear, as she had learned could be used to her advantage, even if there was only a small dose of it visible.

Her injuries were beginning to frustrated her though and it was at this point she knew that she had to exercise patience, something that the wolves had taught her on her first hunt. Although, sometimes, she threw caution to the wind and did whatever the hell she wanted, not this time however.

As she took in a deep breath, she pushed back the wince that would have crossed her features if her top lip hadn't been pulled back in warning against the slavers. Her hazel hues glaring at each of them whenever they came into sight.

When they had stopped at some dock, she looked up as she heard more chains clinking and a snarl ripped through her as she saw the other kelvic that had been captured earlier. Even Redd could tell just from the look of the way it walked and the loss of hope from its eyes that it had given up.

A shake of her head was given as she tried to process this new piece of information, there was no way that she would end up like this, there was just no chance in hell she would let herself be defeated like that. She just couldn't, she'd rather die.

She flexed her hands behind her back, hearing her own chains clang with the movement. She was beginning to get restless and soon she would act without even thinking, it was what happened whenever her patience began to wane dangerously and desperation began to set in.

x

"I can't give you the sunset,
But I can give you the night."

x

[Elias Caldera]

Elias stood there, his breath coming out in slightly ragged heaves while he struggled to reign in his breathing back under control. He peered around the corner as subtly as he could, for subtlety was the name of the game right then and there. They were close. He ducked his head back in as quickly as he had peeked it out. They were still too far away to notice him in the rain yet, which unfortunately meant he was too far away to do what he needed as well. He took a deep breath, filling his smoldering lungs and forcing down whatever wariness still lingered. Closing his eyes, he began, the res he had been building before now renergized as Elias started to manipulate it once more. He let out the breath, focusing solely on his djed now. It flowed from his center, his soul, his whatever one wanted to call it. He guided it gently at first, luring it out with prods and pokes. As it finally began to venture forth, turning from a trickle to a torrent, Elias seized hold and dragged it out. Djed flowed through his body freely then, coursing through every inch of him like a tidal wave through his veins. He steadied himself, bringing the flow under his dominion and directing it to his arm. As it oozed carefully into place, he began to pluck and tear, pulling it out of his body and into the world around him. As his djed began to sunder, it transformed, no longer pure and unsullied, it became res, corrupted and disingenuous, but oh so useful.

The res, a milky, translucent shade of blue, cascaded from his palm and into the waters of the canal next to him. The young mage had set up shop near the corner of where one of Ravok's rare bridges, a small, inhospitable nook provided between it and the wall of the platform it connected to. Wasted space wasn't exactly a concept one was accustomed to in this city, and this little cranny must have certainly had some architect somewhere scratching his head in outrage. Well for Elias, it was golden, severely cramped, but golden none the less. He tucked himself in with a determined effort after seeing it had access to the canal for him to exploit. Honestly though, it was probably just laziness on his part. He didn't exactly want to run in the rain anymore than he had to.

As the res flowed into and under the static waves of the canal, the novice made sure to be very careful with keeping it's presence hidden. While hard to spot from a distance, the rain certainly didn't do him any disservice either. Patiently, he formed a bubble under the surface, growing it and growing it as more and more res flowed in. He had a surprise for those slavers brewing under the water, a surprise they weren't going to like at all.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"Don't." Came the dispassionate whisper from Redd's neighbor. The fox girl glanced at her coolly with light, sullen eyes. They shifted next to the wolf's restless chains. "They'll beat you." She said, then focused her glossy gaze unto her own stained and scraped feet. The rain beat against her flaming orange hair, turning the once grand and beautiful locks into a plastered, dripping mess atop her head and across her face. With her hands chained as they were, there was no way she could shift the soaked strands from her eyes, but even so, it didn't seem like the kelvic would even try should her shackles come loose. A hand glanced across the back of her head suddenly. "I'll be inclined to beat the both of yahs if yah start chattering again." Said the big nosed man who had hit her. Redd would have earned herself one as well had she responded with anything but silence. The slaver had taken a respite from his rowing just to strike them it seemed, but quickly went back to it when the fox made not so much as a peep in response. She had barely even flinched when he had touched her, the girl just continued to stare at her feet, something dark yet dying brewing in her orange eyes.

"And you, quit your snarlin' before I decide I'd rather those pretty fangs on a necklace round my neck." Came the slaver again, sneering down at the wolf.

"You think we caught ourselves another fox?" Chimed in the bigger one. A cruel looking axe hung at his waist, a spiked claw on one end and a brutally sharp edge on the other. It was visible only when his cloak shifted, and it became clear as day as he reached over and took Redd's chin his massive hand. "Eh? How about it, fox, you two sisters or are you something a little bit more expensive?" He jostled her deviously, smiling at her reaction. "I'm sure you want to shift real bad right about now, don't you?" He smirked. "Well-"

"What is that!" Came a cry from the helm. The slaver in charge nearly leapt to his feet as he pointed in alarm at something ahead of them. The other two stopped what they were doing and stared ahead. "What?"



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



The water suddenly collapsed in on itself, a massive crater dipping into the surface as Elias's res sucked in the surrounding lake. Almost immediately the young mage heard a reaction from the ravosala quickly closing in on his position. He smiled insidiously. The young mage hadn't intended for the men to take notice of that part, but now that they did, it only made his trick all the more believable. Concentrating entirely on his res, he gathered a layer of the lake water around the bubble, shaping it under the waves with a deft precision that came from an intimacy with his magic. His construct broke the surface upon his will, eliciting another shout from the boat, this time one of fear. He had formed a jagged, ridged fin, nearly as big as the ravosala it was sailing towards. Smoothly, he brought the res back under the water, picturing the terrifying fluidity of a natural beast slowly diving back under the water and enforcing it upon his mobile arcana. Though nearing the edge of his reach, he forced the water to brush up against the boat next. More panic followed as the ship was unsettled.

More shouting, this time at the poor, skittish petcher who was told to start rowing them to shore. He on the other, seemed too terrified to do anything other than shakily recount a story he had recently heard from a friend of a friend of a fisherman. Whoever had started the tale didn't matter, even Elias knew about it. Hell, he wasn't all that all that sure it was even just a tale anymore after the things he had seen, but apparently there was a monster in the deep, and that was exactly what he needed them to think this was. The 'fin' broke the water again, the creature itself made entirely of the same stuff it was swimming in and completely incapable of devouring anybody in truth.

They didn't know that.

[Redd]

x

She heard the kelvics words and a snarl rose to her lips as she responded, "If you let them defeat you now, you'll remain in this position for the rest of your life." It was at that point that she felt the hand come down upon the back of her head, sending her rocking forwards with another snarl.

Damn humans, they caused more problems then they are worth, she should have just stayed an animal. At this thought she flexed her hands against her chains again, testing their strength and she grunted, they were strong alright.
She heard the bigger male talk, but her eyes had been drawn to the view of the weapon that hung by his waist when his cloak shifted with his movements. Before long, she felt his hand take hold of her chin to draw her gaze up towards him face.

The moment he began to question what she was, a smirk slipped onto her lips, her hazel hues defying him the pleasure of knowing what she was. They couldn't beat it out of her even if they tried, she'd still refuse to give up the only thing that gave her an advantage over them.

It was then that the man with the gold tooth gave a cry of alarm and the man that stood before her dropped her chin and she looked towards the other kelvic. She rattled her chains to try and get her to figure out something that could possibly break them free, while she shoved the bigger one off of the boat.

The message seemed to have registered because the orange haired woman gave her a brief nod and she looked to the leader for some reason and Redd frowned before glancing back to the bigger one that seemed to be too pre-occupied by whatever was in the water.

Dropping her shoulder she firmly planted her feet within the boat and shoved her form into the bigger male, catching him off guard and so this sent him toppling into the water with a yell of terror.

This however, attracted the attention of the others and the one with the oar, sent it crashing down upon her head and she fell to her knees in the boat with a snarl, fighting to stay somewhat conscious.

The leader turned and began to make his way towards her while the one with the oar, turned his attention back to the water monster. Feeling the leader take a fist full of her hair to bring her to his eye level, it was at this vantage point that she saw the other girl reach out with her toes towards the leader to snag something from his belt.

Whatever it was, Redd only hoped that her distraction was worth it and her hazel eyes fixed upon the face of the furious leader before her and a smirk crossed her lips. "What's the matter? Can't handle me as well as you thought?"

It was then that another curse and a splash had occurred behind the leader and he let go of her just in time to see the orange girl, recover to a standing position and Redd couldn't help but silently congratulate the girl. Now, there was two against one and Redd heaved herself up to sit on the wooden bench, still fighting to remain conscious.

It was then that she spotted the odd bunch of metal that the orange girl had stolen off of the leader on the floor of the boat by her feet. Whatever it was, she hoped it would be able to set them free of these chains.

Once she was sure she wasn't going to pass out, she turned to view the leader who had his hands around the throat of the other kelvic. With a growl, she leaped forwards, her teeth snapping closed around the wrist of the offending hand, his skin breaking under her sharp teeth and she tasted blood.

With surprise colouring his face and pain creasing his features, she let go of his wrist as her hazel eyes watched him stumbled back and then over the side of the boat with a splash. As this happened, she sunk to the floor of the boat, a sigh of relief upon her lips, her head throbbing from when she had been smacked over the head.

Glancing towards the other woman, she seemed shocked and Redd remembered the blood that still coated her lips and she smirked, her tongue darting out to gather up some of the blood. Redd wouldn't deny that when faced with danger and having been restrained, she could very well be feral.

x

"I can't give you the sunset,
But I can give you the night."

x

[Vayl]

x

Vayl's hair hung soggily in front of his voilet eyes, as he crouched on a rooftop overlooking the pair. His bone white body stood out against the grey of the roofing tiles, and his lavender eyes glowered down in malice at the pair of them.

This was it then. He had lost her.

She had founder a better man, one who had the use of magics, one who could actually] protect her. He looked down at his clawed hands and clenched them in pure self hatred.

One who didn't just shut her up all day and tell her to do nothing.

With a yell of rage, youthful as it was, Vayl punched the roof he was crouching on, only to cry out in pain as his pathetic frailty was realised to him. Tears broke out and he collapsed sideways onto the roofing tiles, descending into a sobbing wreck, curling into a ball as the rain slowly permeated his clothes.

He lay there for what seemed like bells, motionless. The rain battered his body, feeling like a flurry of punches, slowly soaking him, but he didn't care.

Eventually he uncurled. His face was trembling slightly, but on the surface he did his best to keep it impassive, before finally it settled to morose.

Vayl climbed softly down the building he was on and walked calmly, and slowly to the mage who was now Redd's new guardian. He rested a clawed hand on the man's shoulder, looking down at the chaos he was creating sadly.

"Whoever you are, stranger, please take good care of her. She means more to me than she does to you." he stated simply. His hand slid softly from the human's shoulder and hung limply while he stared at Redd, chained, scared.

All his fault.

Without a word, he drew his soaked hood over his equally wet hair, tears mingling with the rain down his cheek and turned away. He was done here. No longer needed.

x

But one day
you will stand before death's decrepit gate,
without really knowing why

[Elias Caldera]

There was a moment, between the biting and the shoving and the screaming, where Elias almost felt compelled to help the poor men as they were unceremoniously dumped overboard by their snarling guests. It was such a sudden and unexpected turn of events it shocked even the mage who had been aiming to accomplish that same exact thing. She's dangerous... they both are, poor bastards. He thought warily. He saw one of them, the smallest of the three, take to flailing about madly to keep himself afloat. Whether or not he knew how to swim didn't seem to help the fact that his heavily laden clothes were hungrily trying to drag him down five hundred feet to the bottom. The other two seemed better off and much more furious than they were supposed to be scared. Elias figured he had to rectify that, and right quick. His res moved beneath the waves, new found confidence in his magical tool allowing him to warp the ridged fin partly into a tentacle of sorts. It wasn't one meant to be seen, only felt, so he forgoe'd any attempt at detailing it to fool and deceive. Instead, the res soaked water latched unto the beaked slaver's leg, yanking him down, but not before he gave the man time to scream in terror at the touch.

That immediately got the attention back on the menace Elias had been trying to force their focus on. The two men, who had been angrily trying to get back to the boat and reap their revenge -much to the protest of the fox kelvic still on board and furiously flinging whatever she could find at them- shared a silent look, agreed a silent agreement, and turned tail to run- swim. And so they did, replacing whatever seething desire to destroy the two kelvics who had made a fool out of them with the even more pressing desire of not getting eaten. As for the third, the young Ravokian was no murderer of hard working men, nor would he become one today. He not only released the poor petcher, he used what little reach left to push the slaver ashore, a kindness that was surely lost on the man as he screamed and struggled to free himself from an ethereal grasp.

A hand rested on his shoulder all of a sudden, the grizzly touch alone spinning Elias around to meet eye to eye with the symenestra from before. The creature spoke and the mage listened with fear and revile, but as he did so, he also felt a sadness for some reason. He couldn't understand the spider's reactions nor his motivations, but he nodded none the less to the thing as it walked away.

On the flip side of the coin, the fox had taken to undoing her iron shackles, a key somehow falling into her possession. Elias had only afforded himself small peeks and glances to survey the scene as his magic acted within, so he had clearly missed orange haired minx had managed than trick. With one arm free, she moved to do the other, bidding Redd come closer so that the two of them could quickly find their salvation from the chains. Without hesitation, Elias knew full well he had to stop that from happening. Much of his bubble of res had disintegrated with its use, often time simply because it strayed too far from his area of control. There was still quite a bit left however, and he used it now no longer to act on the precipice, but to draw closer his prey. A wave smashed into the ravosala from the rear, pushing it forward with alarming speed and marvel. In his little alcove, his arms weaved around one another, words of the ancient tongue dripping off his own like venom. He willed the water to do his bidding and none other's. He demanded, it obeyed, he forced, he surrendered. He controlled his djed without room for question or error, guiding the small craft closer and closer.

By the time it had reached the shore near where Elias was, the fox had yet to stop screaming. By the look of sheer fright in her eyes, she had never experienced something so unexplainable and bizarre that for all her grit earlier, even she could not help herself. It would be something the Caldera would use to his advantage as the boat awkwardly collided with the stone siding of the canal and their eyes met. As he reached out a hand to grab hold of her and the brindled one, the lake around the boat exploded in a gargantuan eruption. It enshrouded the shaking vessel behind a very sudden and very extreme curtain of water that served to expend the last of Elias's control, but also allowed him to grab hold of both the women without prying eyes realizing the truth... at least he hoped. It had all been quite the grand illusion, he utterly dreaded the thought of it all going to waste now. He first hauled the fox to shore, a frightened yelp marking her exit. As the curtain began to fall and gravity once again reinserted its dominance, Elias took hold of the shackled Redd and heaved her in as well. He wondered what the girl's reaction would be to his unexpected reappearance after their departure last. They were all too pressed for time to wait and find out.

As the water crashed back down upon the boat, the slavers vision of the scene would be restored, their ravosala sinking after the excess of water it had taken on in the struggle, and their quarry missing. Eaten by the beast that had nearly devoured them? That was the plan. With Elias and the two kelvics out of sight, what else could they conclude?


Before the trio could get much further than a few dozen hasty and dazed steps, the fox would rip her hand free from Elias's grasp, nervously backing away from the strange man. Only one of her arms was freed, and with a great deal of annoyance, the young mage watched helplessly as she swiftly and ineptly went about undoing the other with the key she still had. Petch He thought. "Peace." He said cautiously, raising his hands to display his meaning. "I mean you no harm." She did not believe him, no matter how hard he pushed. His djed flowed from him as subtly as the rain drops down her cheeks, and yet it could not slip past her apprehension. The animal had every right not to trust him. If it hadn't been for her loosened chains, Elias would have simply dragged her from here to the slave stalls in the plaza, no words or reason given. He had wanted them both, now he wasn't sure if he could even get one. He turned to Redd then, seeking her advice, but what he found in her place was a bloody fanged animal instead. He nearly leapt away. She had bitten that man, he remembered, but good gods, had she taken his whole wrist? "Tell... her." He requested, wary of the wolf.

He only recognized her injuries afterward.

[Redd]

x

When the other kelvic had bid her to come closer, she moved to stand, only to be knocked back onto her seat in the boat when the wave hit the rear end. The other kelvic started screaming at the top of her lungs. If Redd wasn't still chained up, she would have rubbed her temples, instead she winced as the scream only aggravated the throbbing in her temple lobes.

The moment the boat collided with the stone siding, her hazel gaze was automatically drawn upwards to see the man from the store? Was he the one behind the so-called water beast? Had he been the one to provide the distraction and was he wearing her cloak over his head?

As he grasped her and pulled her out, so many questions swam inside her head, as well as that throbbing pain and the sharp stabbing ones in her right side from her fractured ribs. She barely noticed that the fox had ripped free from Elias and had taken to unlock the last of her chains.

Redd's gaze had been focused upon the ground to the side of her, taking note of the fact that the rain was beginning to ease up. Now, it decided to stop raining? Did it have any good reason to start in the first place?

She wanted nothing more than to whine in pain, but instead as she rolled her gaze upwards to view Elias as he spoke, she noticed the tension in his muscles and the wariness that suddenly filled his eyes. Oh, right, the blood, she told herself as she took a deep breath to look to the other kelvic, wincing as she did so.

"He is not your enemy, he is a friend of mine." Or so she thought anyway, otherwise why rescue her after her other friend had nearly tried to stab him and then left her alone? Whether he was a friend of the other kelvic was the real question, seeing as he did not bother to help the other kelvic when he saw her being bundled up into a sack.

However, sleep was on her mind and she wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep, that's how healing happened right? By sleeping it off? It was during those train of thoughts that the orange haired girl seemed to snap out of her flight instinct to tentatively walk towards the two, darting behind Redd to unlock her chains.

It was relief that Redd had felt first, as she was able to bring her arms forward to wrap around her form so then it didn't aggravate her ribs so much. Although, after loosing her own fight or flight instinct, her consciousness began to swim before her eyes and not for the first time that day, as her head wound finally came down on top of her in full force.

Without so much as a word, she leaned into Elias to try and stable the world around her, fighting to stay conscious, but unconsciousness won out and for the second time that day, she passed out.

x

"I can't give you the sunset,
But I can give you the night."

x

[Elias Caldera]

"Oh shyke." Elias grumbled as Redd fell into him, barely managing to catch her lithe form before she slid off his chest and unto the stone walkway. Gods, had she always been this hurt? The fox leapt to her side quicker than Elias could even follow and the two of them lowered her unto the floor, concern marring the fox's damp features, annoyance Elias's. He noticed the small trickle of blood slithering its way down her forehead, the easing rain washing away the crimson as quickly as it appeared. That was new, he thought, watching as the fox pushed back her motley hair and surveyed the wound. It was small and swollen, but certainly not life threatening, right? How was he gonna sell her if she was dead? The answer to that idiotic question was he couldn't.

A small, dirty hand grabbed his. "If you truly are her friend, you must help her." The kelvic said, perfectly devoid of wounds and trauma as Elias maliciously took note. Perhaps all was not yet lost. He had to react quickly. "I cannot save her on my own, she will need you." He pleaded, forcing himself upon her will as much as he forced the desperate expression on his face. She had resisted him once, her distrust and caution driving him out of reach, but clearly she had taken a shining to her fellow kelvic, certainly this time...

"I cannot!" She cried frantically. She shot to her feet, much to Elias's growing chagrin, and began nervously looking about. She feared the slavers, she feared a trick or death, or worse, recapture. She was just too... scared. He would never reach her, not before she bolted. He tried pressing images of remorse and guilt into her thoughts, edging them in among her own terrors of manacles and chains. He needed her if any of this was going to be worth the risk he had put himself in, but the only reward for his hard work was a pained glance down at Redd. She seemed to consider it for a moment, eyes watering with indecision and perhaps even heartbreak. The reimancer wasn't sure he could blame her, for wanting to run he meant. He had watched her taken the first time, now that she had a second chance, who would be so foolish to risk that for a stranger. "I cannot." This time it was a quieter, more agonizing whisper. She turned and ran without another word. Elias cursed after her, trying to rise but finding himself caught under the weight of the girl resting and bleeding on his lap. He called out after her, a wordless, furious shout drowned out by the last vestiges of the storm. She stopped and turned suddenly, harrowing orange eyes turning upon him. "If you care for her, see her free and far from this accursed city, I beg you. Set her free of Ravok."

Elias closed his eyes with helpless self restraint as she disappeared around the corner and out of sight. For a long, intolerable moment, he remained like that, his mind hazily trying to piece together what was left of his ploy. There wasn't much. His plan had gone all too shyke. He opened them after a while, finally looking down at the girl in his arms for the first time. A brindled and broken mess... What am I going to with you?

Shyke



~~~~~~~



"That's a corpse. You've brought me a corpse." The chubby man stated flatly as he rubbed his eyes.

"What? No, she's perfectly fine, aren't you?" He jostled the kelvic in his arms, the cloak -her cloak- sliding a bit over the side, but other than that, no reaction. Elias Grimaced. "Look, I'll admit, she may be a little scuffed around the edges-"

"-She's bleeding on my rug."

"-So! I'll concede, out the goodness of my heart and the admiration I have for the hardworking men of your revered profession, to agree to a small discount on the sale price." He smiled, using his soaked stranger at the door carrying a body charm to its fullest. The door nearly hit him in the face as it closed... He could have screamed right then and there. The plaza of dark delights was deserted for the most part. Drenched by the showers, it smelled of foul things made only fouler by their now unfortunately wet state. He groaned and sighed, desperate to be done with this day and put his own brash headed foolishness behind him for good. What the hell had he been thinking, trying to save and sell a slave? He didn't know the first damn thing about any of it. He glared down at the girl in his wary grip, angry that he had none to blame but himself. He wanted to blame her! He wanted to put this on anyone, really, as long as it didn't end with him having to dump a body in the canal like some back alley cut throat. Certainly he was better than that. What shambles had become of all his grand plans to get rich quick. He should have known his luck would stay his luck.

The door he had been standing in front of suddenly opened again, a warm, dingy breath of air and hope flowing over Elias as it did. Perhaps he had changed his mind! The young man straightened, hefting Redd higher and more carefully for inspection. Her weight was so little the trip over here had barely left him ragged of breath, a small mercy at least. Perhaps the slaver knew of someone who liked them small? The fat man, with his greasy hair and baggy eyes reappeared from around the entrance, no coin in hand per say, just a leather collar and a pair of iron manacles. "You... You haven't changed your mind have you?" Elias asked warily, gazing upon the pair of items with distrust.

"Nope, but seeing as you 'appreciate' me so much, I've got an offer for you."

[Redd]

x

Redd's head that once faced one side of the room, rolled to the other side, a groan settling upon her lips, signalling that she was finally waking up. After how long, she didn't know, but her right hand lifted to press to her throbbing head.

As soon as her fingers made contact, she felt the rough fabric of a bandage and her hazel hues snapped open and regretted it instantly as all that filled her vision was a hazy blur. Closing them once again, grateful that there seemed to be a roof over her head and that the rain wasn't falling on top of her form anymore.

Wait, no rain was falling upon her? That made her eyes open with more caution, but the world was still a hazy blur and she focused her attention upon the roof, willing her vision to clear. After a time it did and it seemed like there was indeed a roof over her head. Strange, what was the last thing that she could remember?

Slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position upon what she now identified was a bed, recognizing the familiarity of a mattress underneath her form. Her fractured ribs gave her the usual amount of protesting pain and her left hand wrapped around her form to press her palm to her right side.

It was at this point that she noticed that her neck muscles seemed to strain against something and the hand that had been pressed to her head, drifted down to press to the object at her neck, Whatever blood had previously been in her facial features, drain from them. What was this?

Both of her hands then pressed to the object around her neck, it wasn't metal but it was strong in its own right as she tugged at it. This objective was made harder because she couldn't seem to slip her fingers underneath it to grasp at it properly. It fitted quite snugly around her neck and fright seemed to spread throughout her form.

Frantically her hazel eyes darted around the room, noting the odd human things as she did so. She then spotted Elias sitting down on something with his hand on his chin and it was then that she also spotted the door. Wait, the human?

Her frightened gaze returned back to the human male, he seemed to be in some kind of distress, he was in distress? She had some kind of thing around her neck and she was freaking out, to say in the least. What had happened this time while she had been out cold?

Finally she spoke, a frightened tone filling her words, while her hands remained at the collar around her throat. "What is this? Where am? What happened?" To say the human was surprised by the sound of her voice was an understatement, as he shot up from his sitting position.

x

"I can't give you the sunset,
But I can give you the night."

x

[Elias Caldera]

Getting to his apartment had been... nerve wracking to say the least. Running through the streets, Redd strew over his arms and panic practically glowing off his sweaty face, he might as well just have started screaming bloody murder while he jogged. It wasn't exactly easy to pretend you weren't carrying the body of a battered woman and running from the scene of a crime when, in fact, you were doing just that. Instead, Elias had to taken to the darkest of alleys and the most deserted of pathways to find himself back home, his hope being he had avoided all the eyes that mattered enough to get him in trouble. The lazy feeling brought on by the rain had helped him in that regard, keeping most still shut in tight within their homes or stores while they waited. He had finally arrived at Tarsin's, nearly ready to kick in the door and run upstairs before he suddenly stopped, realizing what a complete petching imbecile he would have turned himself into had he done just that. Instead he had sauntered into the boarding house, cool as could be, and very noticeably absent of Redd, having left the unconscious Kelvic outside.

What followed was a little bit of hypnotism to convince the graying old man that something outback, and very far from the front door, desperately needed his attention. Warily, the inn keeper had obliged his djed enhanced request, scurrying off to go investigate while Elias snuck back in with his brindle haired prize safely and subtly in toe.

Now however, the young mage found himself in here, in a bind, unsure what to do. He glanced over at the girl now lying on his bed, her frailly rising and falling as she breathed shallow, haggard breaths. Perhaps he should have just tossed her into the canal and been done with it then and there, letting the lake claim her as it had claimed a thousand others before. He shook his head, letting it fall into his hands with a explosive sigh. Elias had let his greed get the better of him, and this is where it had led. The unwelcome and provocatively attractive idea that if he, given enough time, could nurse the girl back to health and then sell her off, had sprung to life within his mind, stopping him from carrying out his gut intention of just distancing himself like he knew he should have.

Iron manacles lay spread out on the desk before him, its dull, glower sheen a testament to the bind he had put on himself. There was a nagging feeling at the back of his head that told him maybe he hadn't even taken someone who could be enslaved. What if he had in fact stolen away a long lost relative to the Galatos, or the Larks, or the bastard child of Grutal himself? The young man groaned pitifully, cupping his head deeper as he sunk into his own racing dread. Then, as it was constantly keen on doing in situations like this, avarice beckoned, pleading and plying him into its play thing. What if she wasn't though, what if he had indeed stumbled upon a golden opportunity. He may not have seen her shift, but she growled when speaking, and had moved with a predatorial like grace when her injuries allowed her. He had seen it in the way she dealt with those poor slavers, biting into them with just her sharp teeth and nearly taking the man's wrist off if the amount of blood that had pooled in the canal was any testament to her voraciousness.

Peeking between his fingers, Elias's gaze once again wondered over to the slender frame that laid on his bed, the mattress soaked by her drenched clothes. At least he had the good sense to remove the sheets first, ripping a small part in an attempt to create some kind of dressing. He had tried his best to bandage her head wound, but he was no doctor, and the thing had ended up a haphazard mess and little else. Thankfully the injury had only been a minor one, sparing him the gory necessities of something as unthinkable as surgery or actually going to the Healing Hand and explaining himself to the nurses and physicians there. "Oh no, sir, I just found her like this. Oh well yes, she is my slave." He grimaced, pantomiming the conversation that would spark. Elias could only imagine their capricious glares and judging frowns at the sight of her. It was embarrassing to have to discipline one's own slave and have the whole city hear about it, but to have it taken so far, they might as well have called him a Lark for his indulgence at the poor things expense.

Her hair would fetch him a special price he mused, returning his tired gaze back to his own palms. Red and mottled like it was, surely it would catch they eyes of a particularly enchanted buyer. Of course then they would see all the scars and bloody battle wounds the damn girl had gotten herself and would promptly turn their noses up. Would Elias need to- A familiar and stale voice broke him from his pondering all of a sudden, sending him flying from his seat with a startled fright. He whirled to where Redd lay, watching in helpless dismay as the kelvic tried to rise, questions brimming upon her lips and a hand at the collar he had wrapped around her neck. The key was in his pocket, he calmly reminded himself, trying to straighten out his rumpled shirt and play of his moment of sheer terror as nothing more than a mere hiccup. Control yourself, You can still make this work for you. She's just an animal, Elias. A pang of something foreign and all together unwanted tried to crawl its way into his thoughts as he stared down at the collared woman. He had remembered how she had made him laugh and smile, but that had been before he realized what she was.

"This is my room." He said clearing his throat uncomfortably while he swiftly fell into the calmer, more controlled roll he knew he had to play. "You fell unconscious and I brought you here." He motioned with a nod to her collar. "And that, kelvic..." He said, using the word like a fisherman would a piece of bait, "...is your collar. Its what will keep you alive and safe in this city from now on."

[Redd]

x

Redd took notice of the tone of his voice this time, suddenly weary about it. The tone was different, different to when they first met. His voice back then sounded more free, this tone sounded completely different and she couldn't put a paw on it.

Did her call her kelvic? What was with people and calling her kelvic? It was obviously what she was but why did he insist using the word like it was a... A bug perhaps? She wasn't a bug, she was a wolf, a wolf damn it and wolves don't wear collars. At least not from what she had seen.

She shook her head at his statement and her fingers continued to struggle against the collar, aggravating her ribs as she did, but her main concern was the collar. How could a collar protect you from people? They could still inflict pain, no matter what you are wearing.

The young wolf had to get out of this city, she didn't belong here. This she had realized as she bit the man's wrist and the tensed reaction that was brought out from the very man standing in this room. No, if anything she had learned she had to go, she didn't belong here and she had to go... Go where?

It was at this point that her hands dropped into her lap and her shoulders slumped downwards. Go where exactly? She couldn't go back to the pack, they would just shred her apart, seeing as they found out that she was with a human and had helped a human. She couldn't very well stay in the city either, she would eventually long for the soft earth under her paws, the thrill of a run and the taste of fresh blood and meat.

Her hazel hues flickered to view the male in the room, her gaze watching him for a brief period of time. He didn't seem to be showing any kind of emotion, it was almost as if there was something else under his features, but again she couldn't quite understand it.

A sigh settled upon her lips as she glanced towards the door, she had to leave, either way, she would die and she would prefer it to not be in the company of humans. They caused her more grief than anything. Her mother was proof of that, the strange man that had visited outside of Ravok was proof of that and the slavers were proof of that.

However, she couldn't decide whether this man here was more grief that it was worth it. He seemed to have been more interested in helping her than causing her grief, but was it all just a lie? Her mother had been caring until she found out what she was.

She had to leave, that was all there was to it, because if he finds out what she is, it might just very well end like it had with her mother. Then she would have to either starve, die of loneliness or find another alpha to draw her into their pack. The last one was highly unlikely, it was a miracle that she even stumbled upon pack territory.

With a groan, she edged her way to the edge of the bed, swinging her feet off the side with a wince. "I have to leave, I have to get this collar off and leave." She said in a soft tone, her eyes looking at the male once again.

x

"I can't give you the sunset,
But I can give you the night."

x