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It hadn't been long since his marriage to Dalla, but Gaved was still reeling. He couldn't figure out how to handle the lioness. He couldn't break her spirit or make her bow to him. It was an infuriating situation for a lion that had learned to relish power over others.

There had to be some way to appease Dalla, and unfortunately it was looking as though shouting at her and lacerating her with his tongue was having no effect whatsoever. She had even threatened to have Brynja put some kind of fool curse on him, which was purely idiotic, but at the same time not to be taken lightly. Who really knew what priestesses were capable of?

Gaved was far too proud and arrogant to play the simpering husband to Dalla's horrid shrewish wife, but he had to find another way to tame her.

The strange lioness wandering stupidly around the borders might just be that way.

Dalla's insistence on a feast and on his manners had proven that she was a traditionally-minded lioness. If he got her a damned betrothal present (late, admittedly) maybe she would get off his back. He stomped towards the strange lioness, too wrapped up in his anger at Dalla to bother trying to sneak up on her.

"Who are you?" Gaved demanded. It would be in very poor taste, to say the least, if he attempted to capture a challenger ... but he was angry enough to try it anyways, if this female could be subdued. Hopefully she was just another stupid outlander.

Wonderful. She was just another stupid outlander, wandering around lah-dee-dah picking flowers and singing or whatever it was stupid outlanders did. In a perfect world, Gaved would have smacked her over the head and dragged her back to the pride immediately.

Unfortunately, she looked suspicious. And fast. If Gaved pounced and she fled he would be so frustrated he would have to hurl himself off the cliffs and be done with it.

Aaargh.

"I am Gaved," he said in return, bowing his head slightly. There was no way he could fake being sweet and charming, but maybe he could put her at her ease by not leaping on her immediately. "I'm sorry, I thought you might have been a challenger. We pride ourselves on our skills in battle, here. Lions often come along seeking to test themselves against our warriors and become one of us." There was no danger in telling her that, because he could tell that she was a soft and stupid female that wouldn't turn on him and demand a challenge. It might excuse him for looking like a lion who sat on a wasp's nest, though.

Now the lioness was sitting easily, with a clueless smile on her face. Rest a moment, okay, blah blah blah. Great. Gaved had clearly sweet-talked her into letting her guard down, and if he had to endure any more inane female chatter he would probably explode. He had all the ceaseless bitching he could tolerate from Dalla, Stygg and lately Lena. Female voices were beginning to grate on his ears. Time to spring into action.

Without further warning, Gaved leapt at the dark female, seeking to bowl her over and crush her to the ground with his weight. That would be the easiest thing to do. Pin her, hit her until she gave in, and drag her back to Dalla.

Gods but that female was fast! Aaaargh! Would nothing ever go his way?

Growling a curse, Gaved picked himself up off the ground. He wasn't as agile as the grey lioness, or as speedy, but he had his orders from Dalla and there was no WAY he was going to let this lioness escape. She was exactly what Dalla was looking for. Who could tell when the next opportunity to catch such a lioness would come along?

With speed fueled by desperation to avoid Dalla's bickering, Gaved charged recklessly after the grey lioness. He gained ground quickly, but he wasn't a lion designed for sprinting and he could feel his strength beginning to flag. He had to try and capture her before he ran out of breath and she charged away into the distance. Gaved lunged for the lioness, claws outstretched, determined to take her down.

"Oof!"

The b***h's kick nearly knocked the wind out of him (and gave him a good set of bloody tracks along his ribs), but Gaved hung on grimly. He would rather be kicked into bloody ribbons than spend months looking for the perfect thrall while Dalla naaaaaagged him.

"I need a present for my wife. You'll do." Gaved snarled, breathing raggedly from the kick. "Hold still and give up or I'll kill you." He bared his teeth viciously at the lioness.

Gaved pulled one paw up and slammed it down again instantly, seeking a better grip on the squirmy lioness. He wanted to crush her with his weight. That was usually effective at draining the fight out of thralls.

Ordinarily, Gaved would have been tempted to further assert his dominance over this female. He liked to introduce thralls to their new life with some additional beating followed by a more personal introduction to just how powerful Stormborn males were.

Dalla didn't make him feel very powerful at all, though. He was quite certain she would think he had had his way with the thrall as it was, and he didn't intend to throw any more fuel on the fire of her wrath. "Good," Gaved grumbled. Slowly, reluctantly, he stood up, allowing her room to climb to her feet herself. He watched her closely, ready to pounce if she showed any signs of fleeing.

"Walk back with me. Stick close or I'll hurt you."

On the way he would tell her in no uncertain terms what he expected her to do ... obey Dalla absolutely, obey even Stygg absolutely (he wasn't about to see Dalla's present run roughshod over the thrall he regarded as his personal property), and stay the hell out of his way.