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Almost immediately after his sister’s concerns, Gabriel had made his way towards the caves. It surprised him that a stranger was so close to his home, but he supposed his own lack of interested coupled with the rain had kept her a secret. Still, the idea of a slave within Inferni was entirely too much. Though he would never deny that they were monsters, Gabriel did not intend to swallow the knowledge that they prevented creatures from having free will. Especially coyotes, whom they were here to protect. So, for three days, he had tried to find Kaena. Surprisingly, her den had been absent each time he had come by.
With a low, rumbling growl, the coy-wolf stalked through the tall grass. The air had chilled considerably, and the scent of rain had grown into the foreboding chill of a coming snow. Soon, Gabriel would have to start sleeping under his blankets instead of on them. Luckily, his son’s injury had forced the Aquila to gather a sizeable amount of material. Still, snow was the least of his worries; his mother and her situation had perturbed him greatly. Something had been off with her for a while now, but nothing this worrisome.
By the time he reached his mother’s den, Gabriel’s mood had soured considerably. He did not announce himself, and instead entered—it was his right, as Aquila, to do so. Especially, he reasoned, when something like this was going on, and especially when his patience had worn thin.
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Over the last few days, her duties were the same. She had to straighten up the cave but she always came up short and found herself repeating tasks. Fortunately, there were not many things that required her hands because she had been in her lupus form since returning from the city just the day before. Everything she brought was well received and Kaena had been pleased. Most of the blankets went to Kaena's bed but Vieira was glad to get two. She even had two candles in her room for light but they were not lit at the moment. Even the herbs she surprised the woman with was taken well and she was set to cook again soon in order to make a tastier fish.
Vieira was daring to take a break. Part of her believed Kaena would not mind as long as everything was spotless and in order and so she was resting on her pile of blankets. It appeared she was sleeping but she was awake and the sudden feeling of someone in the den made her jerk away. Vieira scrambled to all fours suddenly, worried Kaena was upset, and came out of the small room of the cave. She was not greeted with Kaena, however, and her eyes hit the stone floor when she did not recognize his face. "Can I... help you?" she called with muscles tensed, wishing Kaena had been here to make her feel comfortable.
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Almost instantly, a girl who wasn’t all that young at all emerged. She was thin, but this was not due to lack of food—her body looked entirely too small, as if she had been emaciated at birth. Still, other then this he saw nothing out of order, save the scabbing on her face. It wasn’t very fresh, but there was enough there to concern him. In a move that was very wolfish, Gabriel advanced and began inspecting her body with his nose; taking in her scent, which was heavily mixed with his mother’s, and poking her around the neck and throat.
This gathered a reaction. The girl stiffened, as if he might very well rip her throat out, and submitted in a way he had rarely seen—exposing her throat further. Though this pleased the wolf in his brain, the coyote grew further frustrated. A duality clashed on his face, turning it dark. “Where is she?” He wanted to find his mother and scream at her, to confront her about this horrible thing she was hiding. They couldn’t be so wicked. Gabriel could not allow it.
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Her words were not received and she watched his feet. It was the only way she knew whether or not he moved other than the vague appearance in her peripheral vision. He said nothing but quickly came up to her. His nose was up against her form and immediately, she stiffened and lowered herself slightly to the ground and her head turned away from him in order to expose herself. She hated to be touched, sexual or not, but she did not stop him or make any move against him. Her back feet slid on the ground slightly and she was ready to urinate in submission should he press further but he pulled back and a long breath escaped.
Vieira's form did not change and she remained in position as he spoke. "I-I don't know," she stuttered, fumbling with her words. She had no idea what was going on, who this was, and she just wanted to hide. He smelled of Inferni so that was not so bad but it was enough. "She le-left this morning and wa-was going to come back later with food," she murmured into the ground and clenched her eyes shut.
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For as still as she remained, Gabriel could sense the tension in her body—it rose through her voice and reverberated against the stone walls. Suddenly, viciously, he hated the tone in her voice. “Stop it,” he hissed. The coy-wolf’s upper lip pulled up, revealing his off-white teeth. That sound reminded him of the orange wolf, but it had been different then. Something had been different. A need for blood, and for that gratifying scream; he had needed that then, but now he wanted something else.
“I don’t care if you are a slave or not, look at me when I talk to you.” He could not stand to see someone grovel. In Gabriel’s world, all creatures were equal—even the devil he sought to destroy. The only thing that Gabriel saw as greater was God, but few beasts knew of His Truth. For this reason alone, Gabriel stood on separate ground. He had been chosen. Gabriel knew that God’s children had once been slaves, and refused to see this practice furthered.
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The woman could not help but flinch when he told her to stop and she didn't know what she had done wrong. Had she not submitted enough? What if he told Kaena? The thought made her freeze further but she couldn't do anything about it. Her jaw clenched and he spoke again, something she had not expected. His tone was still unhappy and it took her a moment to register what was happening. He knew about her and it made her feel weird but she couldn't place it. She was demanded to look at him and that was hard for her to place. Her eyes opened carefully and she looked at his face.
Her ears fell back against her head. It was not often she had seen someone's face directly for more than a second and she did her best to avoid eye contact. She focused on his nose instead to give her some kind of peace but her gaze this high was out of place and she could barely keep it there. Vieira swallowed hard, wanting to speak her formal yes sir but that was suppressed for some reason and she didn't know why.
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Even though she was clearly upset, Gabriel did not know why. Had he understood that a large part of it was indeed due to his own actions, he might have changed his tone. Unfortunately, the charcoal-brushed hybrid had never been one for empathizing. A world of violence had taught him only how to gauge opponents, and a cowering woman was a foreign concept to him. Every individual he had met in his life had been aggressive. Even Corona, whom he had never seen as particularly violent, had killed her own aunt and half-brother.
The world was cruel, and he had always believed that everyone in it was the same. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he reassured her, his tone softening just slightly. “Calm down. I’m Gabriel.” Certainly, if she lived with his mother, she would know his name. That might be enough to help settle her.
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While his words said he would not hurt her, it did not necessarily mean it was true. She was stressed from this new situation and while she had no reason to not believe him, she had a hard time doing so. Unable to look at his face any longer, she looked at the ground and stared at his feet again. She worried she would have a heart attack if she looked at his face any longer, even if eye contact was not made. "I'm Vieira Lykoi," she said quietly and closed her eyes for a second.
His name did strike a memory but it was distant. Kaena only mentioned him in passing, maybe that he was her son, she could not be sure. Her information on the pack was messy because she never asked for clarification. Her back legs drew together again and she was at her full height, however, her head dipped back below her shoulders.
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She was not a Lykoi. Kaena was not her mother. Still, this little fact passed by him like a darting bird. What he focused on instead was her body language (because he could not read her face). His presence upset her, this much he knew. Slowly, it dawned on him that he must have looked a fright—all teeth and fur and vicious words. Vieira had done nothing wrong. It was his mother who was at fault. Letting out a long breath, Gabriel tilted his head slightly, refocusing on the fur between her ears.
The snap had left his voice, and it had dropped, now a soft rumble as it often was. “It bother you to look me in the face?” Something had to. He doubted it was the scars—Kaena had enough for him, herself, and all thirteen or so of the children she had popped out into the world. There would be no use in shaking information out of this girl. Tactically, and thinking in that very militaristic way he always did, Gabriel opted for a different approach.
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Most of the time, Vieira focused on someone's feet if she was in her Lupus form. Depending where she was position in her optime, she usually stared at their hands. Gabriel's feet, for her, were her comfort zone. She could not go wrong (except now) to look there. Unfortunately, Gabriel wanted more and that shook her to the core. None of this she understood. He didn't know why he was looking for her mistress, why he had been so assertive, and now he was beginning to waver off a little. His tone changed when he spoke, a question that had never been asked her. Usually it was asked of her to stop calling someone sir or ma'am or apologizing, but her eye contact was not often an issue.
"Yes, sir," she said quietly, trying to keep her voice level but her fear had not subsided. The hybrid was larger than her significantly, like Kaena but maybe a little bigger. She didn't have the best of looks even if she had to look at his face. Her fear had taken over and she could not focus on his features. "I am not supposed to," she added, her voice a few tones higher than before. Her statement was no indication that Kaena made her not look at someone in the face but something underlying, that was with her permanently.
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It was then, as the wind rose behind him, that he finally understood. The smell rushed through the cave, until it climbed into his nostrils and nearly choked him. She wasn’t simply submitting, she was terrified. Gabriel’s nose twitched, and his dark whiskers curled upwards. Amber eyes narrowed significantly, but he no longer regarded her as such a peculiar thing. Vieira’s behavior belonged to an omega—and concept that Gabriel did not understand. He had seen prisoners of war, but they often did not survive more then a night.
At her explanation, a frown turned the corner of Gabriel’s lips down. “Who taught you that?” He had no doubt it was a learned behavior. Instinctively, he understood that a hierarchy existed. This did not mean he expected to have her cower before him. Desires like that would turn him into something terrible. Had he any insight into the mind of the man he intended to kill, he would have drawn a parallel. There was a rush in this power, but it was one that sickened him.
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The questioning continued and she felt a wave of a memory rush over her. It was a punishment she had been given whether or not it was because of learning to never make eye contact she could not be sure, but it was there. She had been young at the time and it was more of a physical beating than anything else. Her eyes closed as if it shut the memory off but it did little to push it away. "Astaroth," she said opened her eyes to find his paws still in place. Vieira did not know the extent of her father's doings here in Inferni or who else might know who he is aside from Kaena. But she put together that, since Astaroth was Eris' father, he must be known. She did not question whether or not the leader knew him.
"He taught me to be a slave," she murmured in order to avoid any other questions that were about her. It was why she submitted as she did, exposed her vulnerability through her neck, had lowered herself, and expected some form of punishment. Vieira began to worry about what would happen should Kaena walk in now. Her first thought was the woman would be upset she was talking to someone, that she let someone inside her cave, but there was nothing she could do. She was so small compared to the hybrid and her lack of physical power was enough to let anyone do whatever they wanted. Her words would only go so far.
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The second that name passed her lips, a low rumble began in Gabriel’s chest. He hated that man, even though they had never met—he hated him for drawing his mother into a downward spiral, for giving her the children that had sent her away from him. Even though a very viable anger still lived in Gabriel against his mother, he could not forgive those who had used her and abandoned her. The fact that this girl before him carried that name with her meant that everything he believed was right. Gabriel’s muscles tensed, drawing the fur along his spine upwards.
Slowly, as if he was restraining himself, the coy-wolf spoke. “He’s dead, and has no power here.” The power of Inferni lay with Gabriel. Kaena was merely a figurehead; an archaic symbol of the years beforehand when the clan had been founded. Her fighting prowess had diminished, and her judgment had grown weak. While Gabriel allowed himself to break his own set rules, he had never done anything to endanger his own clan. Bringing Samael back, allowing a strange girl who clearly had no abilities into her house, staggering drunkenly along the borders (he had only heard of this, though), these signs told Gabriel that his mother had changed.
It was not his mother, though, that was sitting before him now. Slowly, his eyes trailed down to the scab on her cheek. “How did you cut your face?” He asked quietly, falcon-eyes focused on her, gauging the reaction.
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His voice was still stern and Gabriel seemed to know who her father was. Even if he did not have power here, he was still in her head. She could hear his voice commanding her and it took everything she had to ignore him. Sometimes she couldn't. When she was punished by Sivaro or Eris or Kaena's most recent, his voice was strong, as was her second owner. Sivaro was dead, too, and he had a tight hold on her mind as well. The both of them together gave her hell constantly and she had to put so much effort in order to fight them off and sometimes that was just not enough.
Then Gabriel asked about her scab and her ears twitched on her head and for a moment, she didn't know what to say. She was scared to lie but she was afraid to say Kaena had done it. Where she used to live, her wounds had never been questioned. It was known well that she was a slave and no one cared whether or not she suffered. "It was... an accident," she said and her weight shifted awkward from one side of her body to the other and hoped it was enough to keep further questions away. It might not have been an accident but it was the only answer she could come up with.
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Ghosts, Gabriel understood. He knew nothing of the culture she had come from, nor her will to be controlled. No part of his body would obey such a thing—certainly not now, after he had carried Inferni’s helm for over two years. The coy-wolf studied her face, that peculiar metal in her nose, and watched as she told him a half-truth. Viciously, and with a certain knowing, his eyes narrowed.
“That so?” He asked, not expecting a response. With a grunt, the burly male shook his neck, finding it stiff with tension. Dark claws clicked against the stone floor, a sound that seemed so loud and out of place it perturbed him. “You’re fine, then?” This time, his focus turned piercing, waiting for her to answer. She was certainly afraid, though he reasoned that this was in part due to his own demeanor and appearance.
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Vieira nodded slightly when Gabriel questioned her. It was not necessary but she could not leave it out, just in case. It was not possible for her to not answer something, no matter how subtle or rhetorical the question actually was. Her eyes closed for a moment and she considered the next question. Even with her recent punishment and the pain Kaena caused (physically, emotionally) it was not nearly as bad as her former owners. In the long run, Vieira had a roof over her head, was fed, and warm. "Yes, sir," she said quietly and opened her eyes to find his feet when his claws clicked against the ground.
"Kaena is good to me," she emphasized and flicked her tail slightly as if she were trying to encourage this. The woman proved to be no better than Astaroth or Sivaro in some aspects but for the most part, it was all right. Within time, she would gain the weight back she lost in her three months of travel (not that she would be all that much bigger, but it would make a difference for the winter) and feel safe within the boundaries of Inferni.
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Even though she was nervous, and even though she was a slave, the way her body spoke reinforced her words. That was something he could read clearly, and even though he did not really believe her, there was no reason to doubt what she was saying. Gabriel’s body finally began to relax—his fur fell and settled along his spine, and the muscles under his fur no longer bulged with the potential for violence. He would not strike this girl, but had his mother been present, he very well might have turned on her. This was terrible, even for her.
Gabriel swallowed, and exhaled in a sigh. “Fine,” he relented, finding the words tasted thick and unpleasant against his tongue. “If anything happens, I want you to come to me. Can you do that?” He couldn’t do more then this—couldn’t demand her to come with him, even though it was in his rights. She was a free creature in his eyes, and he would not sink to his mother’s level.
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Gabriel's words surprised her and she could not help but seek his face to find his expression. It took no longer than a second and her golden eyes were down on the ground again. It was an odd request and at first, she did not know how to respond. There was only one right answer, regardless of the truth, and she could not step around it. "Yes sir," she lied and her ears fell back against her head. Her voice was soft and her response was a little hesitated but within enough time to avoid question.
Vieira did not think she would go to him if something went wrong, she never had before and no one had ever offered. Perhaps if someone had been there when she was younger, if she understood only half of what she was going to go through, she might be different. Kaena was her word and while Gabriel overpowered the woman in Inferni, it was not the same in Vieira's name. Vieira's jaw parted to ask if you wanted or needed anything else but she resisted the urge to speak, finding that she might sound as if she wanted him to leave (regardless of her want for him to) she was not able to actually voice it.
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In Character
Though she seemed less then enthusiastic about the prospect of coming to him, Gabriel hoped she would follow through. It seemed, though, that everything in her nature was going to battle him on this. Still, he believed that if things were ever to become truly bad, as Rikka had tried to make them out to be, he would be able to protect this small sand colored creature from whatever demons his mother could carry in her.
Unsatisfied, but unwilling to press further, Gabriel relented. “You have a good night, Vieira,” he said, low voice no longer rumbling with doubt and unfocused anger. He turned, then, and made his way back out of Kaena’s den. She would know he had come, and he intended to make sure she did. As he began to leave, he brushed against one of the stone walls, leaving his scent poignantly along the rocks, knowing she would gather the message from it. Then, without further words to the Quintus, he was gone in the gradually darkening evening.
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