thou shall not commit adultery
#1
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The savage in man is never
quite eradicated

I left this nondescript so have her be wherever. :> Backdated to Jan 3rd.

Word Count » 310

So that was how it was. Ezekiel tasted the blood on his tongue and knew it was his own; he had literally bit it to keep from speaking of such madness to his cousin. Helotes had made his position very clear to the Aquila, and such a thing was now casting doubt upon his brow. So what if he had killed for a child? Would he kill for the she-devil that had given herself to him? Red-black tail flicked irritated and high behind him, feet moving at a joggers speed. He did not need to run, but he felt as if it was all he could do.

His feet carried him the long way along the river, away from Helotes. It was to hide his tracks and his true path. Muscles burned as he ran, but it was not a painful thing; Ezekiel ran often. Red feet tore across the packed earth of the horse trail, flattening the snow further, speeding him along. Steam rushed out of his mouth and his lungs filled with the frigid air. He reveled in this exhilaration and in the adrenaline as it rushed through his blood. This was the perfect drug. Not the marijuana, not the opiates, not the alcohol. He wished for this more than anything else. Running was almost was wonderful as fighting, though he preferred the latter of the two. One never spoke as well as they did with tooth and nail.

He ran until her scent crossed his path. Ezekiel slowed, panting, and lifted his nose to the wind. Tracking Zana was not hard despite her size. Both of them suffered the curse of bright fur and against the snow she stood out across the snow-brushed terrain. A loud coyote yip was offered to alert her of his approach and he slowed, blonde hair tousled and eyes gleaming with exuberance.

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#2
Zana had been trying to show the young nephew how to hunt in the show, to discover small mice and rodent tracks as well as how to silently wait outside their burrows for the right moment. The day was cold but Timori de le poer had enough fur to protect his from the cold, Zana herself was safe under the wolfskin pelt she often wore, her eyes watching the small boy as he practiced pouncing and chasing with a young mouse she had caught him moments earlier. She was quietly pondering her time with Helotes. She wasn't exactly certain how it had happened but she wasn't ashamed or embarrassed by their time together, she did love the dark hued Lykoi, even if in some circles it was taboo.

Her ears pricked forward at the sound that carried on the winds. She shoved Timori down into the snow for a moment, her head lifted high as she stood up on tiptoes, finally catching sight of the bright hued male. She lifted her hand off of Timori's scruff and let the puppy go. She relaxed, knowing that their leader would have no issues with her attempting to teach the young child to hunt. The earlier they learned the stronger they would become. Zana turned away from Timori after informing him that she would be back shortly, she would not leave Ezekiel waiting if he wished a word from her.

The small woman had no clue what her leader wished, though with her position in the clan she figured that perhaps he had another chore or duty for her to pursue. She let her forelegs slide down to the ground as she loped across the snow covered grasses. Her tiny form slide over the snow as though it was nothing. It was a short sprint to the Aquila since he too was moving to meet with her, or at least coming in the same direction she had been. The Lykoi woman slowed her pace as she drew near her leader. She let her grey lilac orbs rise to grace the Aquila as she spoke. "Ezekiel.. can I help you?" The last time she had seen Ezekiel was at the clan meeting, aside from word of bird asking her to check out some border or another. More than often he left her to perform her duties by herself however she seemed fit.. had she done something wrong..
#3
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The savage in man is never
quite eradicated

Word Count » 250

The woman was with the peculiar pup she had found, some relative or something or another. Ezekiel wasn’t sure how accurate her claim was, but he was not one to go about and chastise others for bringing home children. He had done so himself, and besides, as long as others cared for them what difference did it make? Children would grow into adults soon enough and then be of use to the clan. Now, though, he had other issues to deal with.

He remained still, recovering his breath (though this did not take long at all) and then shifted his weight to better meet her. While he did not squat or hunch to her level, he was not unreasonably tall compared to her in this form. At least in this way, his coyote blood rang clear; most of the other hybrids within this clan towered above him. With a glance up to the boy, his ears fell back slightly and his amber eyes softened in a show of concern. One thing was certain; he was a remarkable pretender.

“I must speak with you, I’m afraid. It regards your…relationship, with Helotes.” He left this word hanging, yet unsure of where they stood. Neither had approached him, though it had been spoken of by the aforementioned male. Even though he would have not seen it as a true blasphemy (cousins were not unheard of, even in the Biblical texts) the fact that one half had gone about without care truly offended him.

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#4
Zana had not realized that Timori had followed her until it was too late. She sighed softly a moment when she realized that the Aquila was looking at the small male . Her eyes turned to raise a brow at the large pup as he tried to hide behind one of the bushes that sparsely studded the meadow. It was a long moment before she turned back to the leader, his own words were what brought her out of the stare down she was giving the youth. Her eyes were wide as her mouth hung open slightly. She had no idea that Ezekiel even knew anything about her relationship with Helotes, she didn't even know even what their relationship was at this point. She sighed softly as it seemed that she might have done something to disrupt the Aquila's ranks and plans within the clan with her own emotions and feelings.

Her jaw snapped shut after a moment when she realized her maw still hung open as she shifted her weight nervously. She had rarely run on the wrong side of the leader of the clan and she had tried to do right by her duties and chores within and out of the lands. Now she swallowed against the lump that was stuck in her throat as she asked fearfully. "What exactly.. do we need to discuss my lord?" She had a feeling she knew exactly what it was, though she had never heard of Ezekiel keeping any of the members of the clan from engaging in their own sexual affairs. She turned her eyes away after a moment. She would do as he asked though, whatever was needed. She had sworn her loyalty to him first and foremost.
#5
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The savage in man is never
quite eradicated

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The boy approached, but ducked for cover. Ezekiel lifted his nose and sniffed the air; he called out to the puppy, unwilling to discuss such things before him. “I think there’s a mouse nearby,” his voice suggested this was not merely a suggestion. It would be unfair for Zana to need to explain such things to her ward.

Once he was certain the boy was out of earshot, Ezekiel’s eyes fell down to the smaller woman. He had been the one to find her—he recalled her as she had been, and saw that spark fading. It was an unfortunate thing to see. Where there had been ferocity and the sort of arrogance within her expected of the Lykoi blood, he found it weakened. Perhaps it was her mother’s fault; wolves did leave room for weakness, he now imagined. They would need to see the blood bred out.

His ears flared back, slightly, a false display but one he was well prepared for. “It’s about Helotes. I fear his loyalty to me…and to you, may now be compromised.” The coyote paused briefly and then went on. “He was with Halo.” The undercurrent of this statement did not need spoken to give it meaning.

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#6
The small woman had watched the interaction between her lord and her young ward. She quietly nodded to the small boy when he looked to her for a moment when Ezekiel spoke of the prey in the fields. She smiled slightly and nosed him along the way as he slowly began to creep off into the grey gold grasses in search of another small creature to battle to the death. She spoke of it to no one but she saw so much of the boy's father in his actions and ways. She wasn't certain if that was a good thing or not considering the inner wars her sibling was always fighting. She had sensed a darkness coming over her older brother when they last parted and she now hoped that it had just been another one of his moods and not a sign for the future, but the appearance of Timori worried her. She could almost believe the story Firefly gave her but it seemed to have a shadow cast over it as well, just as her brother's life always had.

She had been lost in thoughts dark and fierce when she realized that Ezekiel had begun to speak. At the mention of Helotes name she blushed slightly, thinking of the moment in time they had shared, but in the blink of an eye these thoughts were shattered as ice seemed to freeze her heart. Two names uttered together she never wanted to hear was what her master had to grant her. She couldn't stop her ears from pinning back against her skull as she turned to face Ezekiel. Her voice was hard as steel as she asked. "Are.. you certain." her tiny fangs were bared as she let that name slip off her tongue. [b["Halo..."[/b] She said it once, but it seemed to echo in her mind, shattering her previous thoughts and digging in and rooting to the dislike and hatred to the woman who had marked her a traitor so long beforehand.

Once perhaps she would have broken down right there and wept, perhaps, if it had been any other woman she would still, but the simple fact was if what Ezekiel spoke was the truth then Helotes had crossed a line that was far deadlier to cross with Zana than any other promise, vow or deal. She closed her eyes for a moment, her fingers curving around one of the dangerous little darts she always had on her person, the poison was deadly but over time the woman had developed a tolerance to it's effects and she wasn't exactly worried about what would happen if she pricked herself..but that didn't mean she wasn't thinking of another who's heart she'd like to pierce...
#7
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The savage in man is never
quite eradicated

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There was a palpable shift within the small girl, and Ezekiel was glad for it. Zana had been one of the first in a long series of women he would attempt to hold sway over, and as long as she remained loyal to him he would allow for such indiscretions as a lone child or even her would-be relationship with a cousin. Blood aside, he doubted how much he could trust Helotes due to the weakness of flesh he so willingly gave into. It was not something he found himself trusting much at all.

Observant yet of her behavior, Ezekiel made no move to comfort her. It would not do to allow weakness to soften the tiny woman, yet dangerous in her own way. “I am,” he said gravely. “I do not wish to see you wounded by him, Zana…and I have a task for you that will show us just how true he may be to you yet,” the coyote went on, his words carefully chosen and yet planned with such grace the shift of topics was natural. “Disguise yourself and go east. See what you can learn of Anathema from within their ranks; if he still cares for you, you will know it upon your return. I’ll ensure the boy is cared for,” he added, looking to the pup now rolling about in the snow. “It is dangerous,” the Aquila went on. “But you are loyal to me and I trust your skills.”

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#8
The truth of the matter was like a slap to the face. She knew Helotes had fancied himself a player among males but she had believed that for her he had cast that life behind, it seemed she didn't know the male as well as she thought she did. Her eyes cast down for a moment as she fell silent, the assurance of her lord was the only sound she caught as he spoke of how to find a solution to the problem at hand, if Helotes actually cared for her. She wanted to snap back, to lash out at her Aquilla, to demand how he even could believe that she would still want their Lykoi cousin after such a show as this. Instead she remained silent, knowing that Helotes was her one true weakness and as much as she felt like she was dying inside there was a furious storm brewing as well.

Ezekiel spoke of a mission of sorts, she would remove herself from the clan, become transplanted in the strange cult like pack to the north and learn their ways. She felt a slight shiver race down her spine at the thought, but there was far greater danger in her residing in the clan's lands currently than in enemy territory. It would do her no good in staying and this is what she had been trained for. It was a chance for her to prove her worth.

She didn't answer the man right away, instead she let her eyes wander to the small form of her nephew as she studied him. "I will go.. just give me time to arrange a few things my lord.." She turned her dark eyes to him as she spoke once more. "I have been beside you when you've accepted my faces into the clan.. the vows were always along the same line.. but mine.." Her hair whipped across her face as the question fell free. "Why did you never demand my loyalty to the clan.. only to you.." The words came forth but she didn't expect an answer, he was her master, he never had to answer anything he did and she knew this, but it had been a thought that had grown and festered inside her over time.
#9
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The savage in man is never
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It was a cruel way to do this, and perhaps one that would later cause grief, but it was his right as a leader to know the true bonds of those who followed him. If she would be so wounded by the man now, she would turn on him—and he could not yet afford Helotes, despite his weakness. Amber eyes shifted down to the woman’s face, and he listened to her promise and her question. A faint and sad smile crossed his face, one that fell at odds with the sharpness in his eyes.

“There may come a day,” he surmised. “When you will swear loyalty to this clan; but as long as I am leader here I wish to have your…talents, on my side. Once I determine whom I can trust, I won’t need to ask you of such dangers. You’re valuable, Zana, and I don’t want some sex-crazed mutt making you think otherwise.” A faint rise of anger pulled in his voice. As Siobhan, he considered Zana a girl under his protection; and that peculiar sort of brotherly need made him worry to see what could befall those who would harm the girl.

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#10
She stood quietly, watching the child who was turning into a youth as he began his clan training. She knew in the time she would be gone the small boy would change, perhaps they all would, but she would not live her life on hopes and could have beens. His words were strong and true as they drifted on the slight breeze. She did not make a protest to the answer she was given because a few strong and dark faces came to mind right away and there were times when she too wondered who did what for themselves inside the borders and who did it for the clan. They all stood in the shadow of their leader but it seemed that some were thirsty for more than their share of the day. She could not blame them but the world was not filled with leaders, they were few and far between and she had seen the damage one who was not prepared for leadership could do, she did not wish to replay history once more on different grounds.

Her eyes slowly turned towards Ezekiel as she studied the man before her. She did not know what sort of a creature he was deep down inside but she knew everyone had their demons. She was quiet no more though as her voice filled the void. "I have always been yours to command. My loyalties lie with only two souls.." The man of gold stood before her and the stormy one was far across the lands. Helotes in time might become the third and final creature to take a part of her heart and her loyalty, but what he once had was fading after the prick from the thorn he'd graced her with in his flaws and weaknesses for the dragon of the lands.

It seemed the small pup had caught himself a mouse after all in the mists of their discussion. She smiled slightly as she called softly to the boy her praise and approval. She let her grey lilac orbs turn back to her lord as she added. "..and Helotes is not the other.. if you must know."
#11
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The savage in man is never
quite eradicated

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A beast lay under his golden coat, and Ezekiel had done well to hide it. He was torn asunder by two worlds, and it was apparent in the behavior as well. Effectively turning in his Hydra meant that he now risked the anger of that man as well as this woman; Helotes outweighed him, certainly, but Ezekiel had fought and killed a man bigger yet. He did not fear the wolfish coyote anymore than he feared the outside and the unknown. Only paranoia allowed for caution, which he clung to yet.

So his eyes darkened slightly at her speech, but he smiled in a thin, toothy manner and he lowered one hand to her shoulder in reassurance. “I suspect you’re wiser than most suspect,” the Aquila praised, and then released her after a squeeze. “Do what you must. I will not speak of your absence to him or anyone; I’ll ensure this pup and your animals are tended to.” Ezekiel took two steps from her, paused, and turned. “Be careful, Zana,” he warned her gravely, amber eyes gleaming. “If you do not return I can only assume the worst. We will not come for you.” It would risk her safety as well—something that he could not allow.

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