She had promised to confront Hadley, to make sure that he was punished properly. Granted, her idea of what he was being punished for and Dhiate's was probably very different. Amy was upset that Hadley had wandered away from his master, and used a careless bedside manner. Dhiate was angry that he had been turned into a luperci without any warning. Two very different agendas, working to reach the same goal. Even better, she could work at trading with the pack. She had done so before, had connections there. Selene was traveling with her now too, after all.
Lifting her head Amy loosed a booming howl, summoning all those who would care for trade. An extra note demanded for Sebastian's presence, ready to chew the red male out for acting so careless with his property. She had warned him that Hadley was only half trained, had offered to help him continue to break and train him. Instead, the first time slave owner had set off to do this all on his own, turning down her generous offer. Sighing she turned to Dhiate, hoping that he was feeling alright about this.
They were here. Here. In Hadley's homeland. Dhiate leaned up against a tree, the bark rough against his dark back. He crossed his slender, bangled arms. The golden bands clicked together gently. He closed his eyes trying to steady his breathing. The mere thought of seeing Hadley again set him on edge. He wanted blood, he wanted payback. Hadley would pay for this. Amy had promised that she'd make sure he was.
Dhiate flinched when Amy howled. So loud, but they did want to be noticed. There was an extra note at the end, though he didn't know what it was for. Dhiate watched his mistress turn to him, eyes asking. Dhiate took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and nodded. It was now or never, best get it done sooner rather than later.
The young male's face grew dark and hardened, he didn't want to show his fear or anxiety. As if unperturbed by the whole ordeal, he wiped at a nonexistent smudge on a single golden bangle.
He had been exercising his shoulder more, and the pain had subsided enough that Wayne no longer had to use the sling that had impeded his movement so much. Still, the joint ached every time he moved it more than a trivial amount, and so he was working only slowly at adding more and more of his old duties until he reached his usual load. It was a tedious process, one that had the cowboy grinding his teeth at every instance of difficulty, but he'd get through this like he'd gotten through every other trial in his life.
Pack life was no easier than before in the way of socialization, however. He knew and liked some of the more outgoing members of the pack, and he retained a connection with the alphas even if he didn't know them as much on a deep personal level, but there were some goings-on that he felt like he should have been able to prevent. The drama with Selene, Hadley, and the new woman Ismeme for example had been taxing on his nerves. It wasn't long before he stopped seeing most of them around, their pack scent all but disappearing from the territory. Part of him thought he should seek them out, but part of him also spat at the prospect. After all, they were Cavalierites. They were expected to adhere to the rules of peace in the pack, and if they abandoned it, what good were they to begin with?
As his thoughts made obvious, the Labrador mongrel was not in a pleasant mood today.
The only upside to his darkened demeanor was that he was better able to control Maia as he led the pregnant mare alongside Buckeye for exercise. It was getting to the point where he was uncertain about riding her and Gypsy, with their foaling near, but they still needed to get out as much as the others. A rope lead connected her with the light bay stallion, and his growls and commands kept her from fussing more than was appropriate. She was at least getting used to him, though he feared she would only completely warm up to him when it was time to give her back to Saul.
He snorted, almost amused, when a booming howl broke through the calmness of the spring day. The birds fell silent momentarily before twittering again, and the Tronco wheeled Buckeye around in the direction of the sound. He was used to finding recruits at the borders, but this cry did not carry the same note as those did. It was demanding too, to a point, and he recognized the shade in the call that summoned one pack member in particular. Sebastian could come if he wanted, but Wayne would seek this stranger out himself.
He stopped a bit short of the borders, tying Maia to a tree branch so she wouldn't attempt to bite the caller. He continued on with Buckeye, though, remaining on horseback as the horse stepped out to the edge of the territory -- where Wayne was startled to recognize one of the pair of luperci standing there. Amy? he asked in surprise, then shook his head as his brow furrowed. He remembered the implications of his meeting with Hadley, and he was not very glad to see her here now.
So he cut to the chase: blunt, stern. What do you want?
Sebastian had been painting in the forest when the call rang out. Painting a small field of buttercups and daisies, the bright yellows flaring out of the green forest and jumping out at him, begging to be immortalised on canvas. He had been at the painting for the better part of two hours, working to keep the shades of yellow and gold subtly different, yet uniform. It was a long, difficult task that some would call tedious. Still, Sebastian enjoyed the small challenge.
A single brow raised when he dimly registered the fact that he was being called to the borders by a disturbingly familiar voice. Amy Sunders, the blonde wolfdog and Hadley's former master. What the hell did that psychopath want? Had she returned for Hadley? Ridiculous. They had made a fair transaction. Hadley for wine and matches. It had been a good bargain on Sebastian's part.
Sebastian carefully placed the unfinished painting in his satchel, making sure that the wet paint touched the leather of the satchel as little as possible with four metal clips he attached to the canvas. He took his time packing up his supplies before he headed in the general direction of the howl, a frown on his muzzle as he considered what the woman could possibly want.
He arrived only a couple of minutes after Wayne, looking almost threatening atop a large horse as he glared down upon the pair with a sort of wrath that could only be picked up from long territorial disputes and repeated warnings of "Get offa my land!" Or so Sebastian assumed.
Sebastian sauntered out from the trees, running a cool eye over both. Amy, looking the same as ever. Perhaps a little older, more beaten up, grumpier. A new addition, too. A slim, extraordinarily feminine man who instantly made Sebastian feel much more secure about his masculinity. He was pretty, there was no doubt about that. The question was why was he with Amy? A new slave? One who looked useless for the labours Hadley could accomplish? What was he, a prostitute? He looked as though he could certainly fulfil such a role.
But his thoughts shouldn't wander there for now.
Sebastian padded next to Wayne, ignoring the urge to leap away from the horse. One hand was placed on his hip, the other relaxed on his side, close to his where his dagger was sheathed. He made a show of looking both of the pair up and down before he spoke coolly.
"Something you want, Amy? Hoping to auction off your new slave?" The Italian looked the unfamiliar white wolf up and down with pity before his eyes returned to Amy.
Amy smiled gently as a dog she recognized rode up. Wayne. She had met him when working through a town that she'd seen. The reminder of the fact that soon the fruit would be open brought a smile to her face. Her merchandise was spreading, coming to life with the world around it. The blunt call did surprise her, since they had left on good terms. I'm here to trade. Also need to talk to Sebastian about a previous sale.
Speaking of which, she saw the classy wolf sauntering over. His gaze was cooler than she would have expected from someone that was willing to buy a slave from her. Her expression didn't show the surprise, remaining as untouched as before they had arrived. Hopefully Dhiate would be able to stand firm against this. Dhiate is not for sale. He never will be. Selling him off was the last thing on her mind. He belonged to her. I'm actually here about Hadley. Apparently my product has been misbehaving. Wandering off on his own. Sleeping with others, and not having the courtesy to remain afterwards, acting quite rudely. Are you aware of this?
Dhiate looked up from his bangles to see a male a two horses in the distance. His blue eyes furrowed as he tried to see them better. Dhiate had always been interested in the strange creatures. Amy had one, but it didn't do much but pull the wagon as far as he could tell. He often wondered how such a large and obviously powerful creature could be so docile and submissive. Perhaps it was just one of life's many enigmas.
The stranger grew closer and left the horse with the larger diameter, Pregnant? tied to a tree. Dhiate no longer had to squint to see him, and look he did. Blinking a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, he looked the male over. He appeared strong, powerful, and incredibly attractive. Dhiate averted his eyes as the male spoke and listened to Amy's reply.
Sebastian? Who was that? Amy had never mentioned him before, but perhaps he knew where to find Hadley or simply had other business with him. Whatever the case, he came as if summoned by the mention of his name.
Dhiate felt his throat constrict at the sight of yet another attractive male. He tried to swallow, but found there was something in the way. What's the deal with this place? It seems to produce hot guys like weeds! He longed to shout this out to the world, but refrained and only thought it to himself. His thin, wiry, small muscles tensed and he tried to keep from melting into a puddle of goo.
Dhiate felt the stranger's eyes on him. Not Wayne's. The other one. Sebastian apparently. Dhiate struggled to follow his training, to not meet his eyes. It was a battle lost when he heard those words. His eyes grew round and the blood pounded in his ears. His nails dug in between golden bangles and into his fur. The rough bark of his tree pressed painfully against his back, but it was all that kept him standing.
Sale? His smoky eyes gouged into Amy's back, pleading. Don't make me go mistress! I'll fix whatever I did wrong, I swear! He couldn't speak. He couldn't breathe. He tasted blood where his teeth had pierced the inside of his cheek. Again, he almost fell with relief at her words. Dhiate closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the tree, words couldn't define what he had just gone through.
Dhiate listened carefully to her words. It sounded as if Amy not only knew Hadley, but had been his master as well. It made sense, the scars. And it also sounded as if Sebastian was in charge of Hadley, if not his master. Well, well, well, Hadley. It seems your time of fun and games will soon expire. If only Hadley could hear his thoughts.
The blonde woman greeted him with somewhat of a smile, but his squared-off face remained stony as he stared at her. Her explanation made him nod once, his brown eyes flicking past her to the silent flat-chested girl, who looked away submissively. Before he could even think of a follow-up question, however, the redheaded Italian sauntered out of the vegetation to them. Patting Buckeye on the neck as the horse snorted at the other's approach, he glanced down at his comrade in cold questioning.
The word slave left Sebasitan's lips as he greeted the merchant woman nonchalantly, and the cowboy lifted his lip to show a large canine tooth. It was true, then. His eyes fell hard on the silvery girl -- or perhaps just a slender and feminine man, it was revealed. Disgust crossed his face, but he remained silent and still as he sat on the stallion's back, as if he'd simply been carved out of dusty stone.
Amy mentioned Hadley, referring to him as a product. She went on to explain all the former slave's transgressions, which she seemed to hold Sebasitan accountable for. The cowboy had known that Hadley and him had been together a lot, but he hadn't thought that Hadley had been purchased from this blonde slaver. It was beginning to make sense, which was the last thing he wanted. He felt accountable for Hadley's pain, past or present; he was a pack-mate, perhaps a friend.
Are you aware that Hadley's a member of Casa di Cavalieri? Wayne McCoy asked firmly, speaking up for the first time in a while. In other words, you ain't got control over him, woman. He shifted in the saddle, and the light bay stomped a hoof. Hadley will answer t' us, t' his leaders, for any so-called misbehavior, if the alphas see fit. He cleared his throat. So if you ain't got anythin' else to say, you should leave.
It seemed that destiny was certain today was not going to be a good day for him. Already once this morning his prey had been scared away by a noise outside of his control and now as he watched the deer bound off into the distance, scared by an insulting and overly disrespectful howl from the borders his temper rose and he snarled, teeth snapping together. He was quite a distance away from the one who called in such a manner and given his hulking size it did take him longer to reach the dispute than the other two who were already in attendance.
His mismatched eyes surveyed the scene with an icy gaze, his nose taking in the scent of anger and brewing violence, the tension of it prickled at his spine, and made the fur on his haunches rise. He had upgraded his weaponry since he had last greeted somebody at the borders and now a deadly looking mace hung from his hips, kept in place by a crude leather belt. The dusty man stood tall above all of them as he closed in, formidable in appearance. He caught the tail end of Wayne's speech enough to understand that this altercation was about Hadley, a person Lorenzo was vaguely aware of within Casa.
Also in attendance was Sebastian, the fox colored man as always suave and very attractive even if Enzo did now have somebody to fawn over, he would remember the time they had spent together with fondness. The two who stood on the other side of the borders, the obviously unwelcome if Wayne's stance was anything to go by. A light colored girl and her skinny male companion. He had never met either of them before and yet took an instant disliking to them, especially to the female, she had a twisted, derisive air about her, her scent was cold, harsh and cruel and it ruffled him up in all the wrong ways. He struggled not to simply chase them both away now without even bothering to hear out what they had to say, but his appearance would change the odds if a fight happened, he could easily crush either one of them with his weight. His darker brows were drawn together and lips raised enough to flash the tips of his fangs.
Dhiate, the girl-man, apparently wasn't for sale. The question was whether or not he wanted to be freed. Sebastian squinted at the white, willowy male for several moments before his attention returned to the blonde hybrid. Apparently, she was here about Hadley.
What?
It was none of her business what Hadley did! If he had done what Amy said, which the foxy artisan doubted, it mattered none. He could have slept with an entire pack and not returned any of their calls for all Sebastian cared. Misbehaving, hmph. He'd probably just been having a party. Sebastian eyeballed the slightly taller white male suspiciously. What possible purpose did he serve here if Amy had no intent to sell him?
Wayne seemed rightly pissed off. He looked fairly intimidating atop the horse, snarling at the blond woman and spitting out his contempt. Sebastian watched impassively, silently agreeing with every word. He could even see the handsome giant Lorenzo approaching from a distance, a savage-looking mace hanging at his hip. A shame that he'd found some female to swoon over.
As Wayne finished his tirade, Sebastian took a step forward.
"I was unaware that he hadn't been staying after he'd slept with someone, but I honestly don't care. What Hadley has or has not done matters little. I gave him freedom to travel as he pleased. Unless you have a personal, valid complaint against him, there is no reason for any punishment to be given at all." Sebastian's eyes flashed. "If there is some reason he should be punished, I'm sure we could pass a message on to our leaders. I'm afraid I have no reason to punish Hadley." Sebastian took a step back and looked at Amy coolly, calm and composed. Perhaps if she hung around for long enough, Wayne would trample her.
Amy watched Sebastian fix his gaze on Dhiate. She didn't like that at all. Dhiate belonged to her, no one else. He wasn't for sale, wasn't going anywhere. She moved, placing herself between her slave and customer. There was no way he was getting him. Wayne spoke up, and Amy glanced at him. She didn't care what Wayne thought. If he wished to trade, that was fine. If not, she had no interest in him. After all, Hadley was Sebastian's slave, not Wayne's. Yet another large beast showed up, this one showing clear disrespect for the merchant. She bared her fangs at him briefly before whipping her head, staring at Sebastian with disbelief.
Permission to travel? And not caring if his personal toy slept with another. There was a very personal complaint she had to make about Hadley's behavior. She just felt uncomfortable stating it, knowing that it would reveal a weakness that she would rather pretend wasn't there. Taking a deep breath she spoke up, holding herself with as much courage as she could, knowing that she could be mocked for this. Amy held no fear for death, but her pride was a great thing. He turned Dhiate into a luperci, and didn't warn Dhiate about the changes that would happen to him. I want him punished for such careless behavior. If you won't, I'm sure Hadley still remembers my call.
Dhiate's eyes remained closed as a voice penetrated his momentary peace. The one on the horse, Wayne, wasn't happy. He didn't understand. Probably never would. Didn't matter though. Dhiate's breath came in short bursts as he grew more and more excited. It was almost here. Almost time. Time for revenge. Dhiate slowed his breathing. This wouldn't be any fun at all if he just happened to hyperventilate and pass out.
As soon as Wayne finished speaking, the red one, Sebastian, spoke. For this, Dhiate slowly opened his smoky blue eyes and feasted upon the other male. Dhiate glanced over and nearly jumped at the sight of a new wolf. Also handsome. Dhiate rolled his eyes and turned back to Sebastian.
Dhiate flinched slightly at Sebastian's words and narrowed his eyes. This guy had no idea how painful it was. How frightening it was to change without warning. Amy spoke, Dhiate lowered his eyes. His fingers dug deeper into his arms but still he was silent. He glared at the ground. Willed it to spontaneously combust. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Everything remained the same.
A third Cavalierite joined them, and Wayne was, for once, glad that the alpha’s son was much larger than them. Certainly size wasn’t everything, but three males of a warrior pack would be able to take on a troublesome woman and a pretty boy—or at least suggest that it wasn’t worth the effort of resistance.
Sebastian spoke well, better than the cowboy could have—and more calmly, too. Despite the dusty-coated mongrel’s reserve, he was all anger and aloofness, and the light bay stallion felt it. Buckeye was jittery, rolling his bit with his tongue, ears turning to heed the words of each of the luperci. It might even have been better to leave Maia untied; the brood mare would have no problem chasing these fools away from the land, although the problem would be wrangling her up again afterward.
Amy mentioned Dhiate, the willowy grey wolf beside her that was glaring at the ground. The Southerner wasn’t used to non-luperci, even though he valued the four-legged form and understood why some used it more than others. All he knew was that it was more useful, and if Dhiate hated it so much, he wouldn’t be standing here on two legs now. There was a pack in the north made of feral wolves, he’d heard; why hadn’t he gone off with them? He snorted and let his brown gaze rest heavily on the slave.
He ain’t gotta listen to your call, Wayne reminded the blonde merchant, although he was certain she would just ignore him. And feral wolves ’re rare around here. I wouldn’t ’ve known either.
Pointless words that would likely not contribute anything to settling the argument—but at least he spoke calmly and clearly. He simply didn’t understand what Hadley had done to warrant punishment. He hadn’t stolen or murdered, or committed any other sins punishable in Casa’s eyes.
Sorry for my late reply, didnt realise it was my turn x.x And once again, Enzo contributes nothing XD
The smart mouthed blonde female had the audacity to bare her teeth back at him. Already focused eyes narrowed further and the distaste he felt for her increased. But before he himself could say anything both Wayne and Sebastian spoke up, stating their thoughts upon the man known as Hadley and his actions. They made the fact painfully clear, Hadley was not going to be punished for this. He looked down upon the pair of them and a small, almost cruel smile curled about his lips. As Wayne's scrutiny fell onto the slave that was all but cowering behind his owner so his own did too.
And his thoughts ran along the same lines, if this Dhiate didn't like being a luperci, was upset at being turned then he wouldn't be using the optime form, he would be using the form that was natural to him. Their complaints were groundless and lacked strength. His eyes swiveled back to the dog as more tart assumptions came from her maw. She was assuming that the wall of Cavalierian men would let her get her grimy paws upon one of their own members, then she was sadly and laughably mistaken. Whether or not Hadley had once upon a time been her slave, he no longer stood alone, he had the force of Casa behind him now.
Ha. So what? Sebastian raised an eyebrow. Dhiate had been turned into a luperci. Sebastian failed to see the problem. He could still live as a simple feral wolf if he wished. The Italian put a hand on his hip and looked Amy over, raising his lip to display a single canine at the thinly veiled threat towards Hadley.
"Irrevelant," he stated calmly. "Wayne speaks the truth. If he doesn't want to be a luperci, he free to live in his feral form all he likes. Unless you are preventing him." Sebastian looked between the pair, his face now expressionless. "If you do call Hadley, I will take it as the intent to harm him. If you try to hurt him, I will murder you." He delivered the warning calmly, looking up at the taller woman with his orange eyes flat.
"Unless Dhiate told Hadley that he was not a luperci, Hadley is hardly at fault. I think you should leave now." His eyes flitted briefly to Wayne. "Unless you want to say something else?" he asked his superior, eyeing him questioningly. The accusations were baseless and foolish in the extreme. Sebastian slipped one hand into his pocket, resting easily on the handle of his dagger.
The cruel look from the secui wolf didn't go unnoticed. Amy moved herself between his line of sight and Dhiate, protective of her goods. She wouldn't let him get damaged. He was no good to her if he was. She couldn't afford to drag around dead weight. Whether or not Hadley had to listen to her call didn't matter to Amy. What mattered was she knew he would answer. He would feel he had no choice. He couldn't escape her, Amy had made that perfectly clear. He would come.
Prevent Dhiate from shifting? There hadn't even been a need for that. Amy would certainly interfere if he did move to enter secui form, and found the lupus form only useful for baths, but she hadn't done so. Dhiate was a good slave. Such methods were unnecessary. The threat from Sebastian made it perfectly clear to Amy that she had been fooled. She had thought he was purchasing a slave, but it looked like he had purchased Hadley's freedom instead. If she had known she would have charged a lot more, or not sold him at all.
Growling she turned. They wouldn't help. Well, that was fine. Passing Dhiate she whispered to him quietly. He will come. Not now, for she needed to wait for them to forget, to think that she had moved on. After, she would call Hadley, and make sure that he felt every fiber of pain that he deserved for his thoughtless behavior.
