Naja had no idea what to do with this Gods damned thing. He wasn't largely built, but he had gentle green eyes and a constantly fretful expression. His stripes made her dizzy - and he was all hers. Naja sent her grandfather a very sarcastic mental thanks. She didn't need a male around. She'd done just fine by herself all these years, and would continue to do just fine by herself for the rest of her life.
She was annoyed by Thorgrim for another reason altogether. He wouldn't take her out on a Gods damned Viking. No matter how she pouted, begged or pleaded, it seemed that topic was completely off limits. He would not bend. In fact, he'd gone so far as to narrow those blue eyes at her an instant before forbidding her from doing any such thing.
Naja grunted. She met her new thrall's gaze.
"What's your name."
Nadhani obliged.
"Nadhani, ma'am. I'm.. this is all just some accidental confusion. I'm .. if you could just let me talk to someone, I'm sure we can --"
"You talk a lot." Naja sniffed. "And your name is horrible. We've got to fix that."
Nadhani fell silent. Naja sniffed again.
"Your stripes make me dizzy. I'll call you Svimmel. Dizzy."
Nadhani was not pleased by this. He'd always liked his name, especially when his mother had remembered it. Those were moments that he would have to hold on to. She was gone, as was his old life, apparently.
"You should uh. I don't know, by the Stormlord's a*****e. I don't even need a thrall, but gramps says you're mine to keep. Gods be damned."
One of the greatest things about being of Stormborn blood and living within their pride was that their cusses were some of the best cusses she'd ever heard - and she used them often. Probably too often, and entirely too frequently for Thorgrim's tastes.
"Grab that shell there. Follow me."
Whatever. She needed to make some mud to patch a few holes, and ... she didn't even know if her new gift was to live with her or not. If he was, he'd need his own room because she was sure as Hell not sharing. By Raiden's thunderous asscrack.
Naja sniffed as she waited.
Svimmel grabbed the shell and followed his mistress. He would have to get used to the name, so it was best to start thinking of himself no long as Nadhani, but Svimmel. It was a horrible name, but what could he do? Beg her for a different one? Bah.
Naja led him to the lake and waded in just a bit.
"I need mud. So. Scoop some into that shell. Then walk it back to the den." Okay, this was acceptable. She could loll about in the water while he did all the carrying about. Very nice, considering that the sun was at full tilt high in the sky. The water was tepid but soothing against her warm paw pads. She could use this time to come up with various new cusses.
"By Mrost's mighty ballsack, move faster! I need a lot of mud. And then you can like. Move some rocks or something."
Nadhani -- no, Svimmel -- scooped up mucky pawful after mucky pawful. Mud was everywhere, and when he bent to lift the shell in his mouth, it dribbled warmly against his tongue. It also tasted like s**t, not that he'd ever tasted s**t before - but if he had, it probably tasted like the mud that he unceremoniously dropped next to Naja's den.
It didn't take him long to return to the spot where Naja sat mumbling to herself.
"Where do I sleep?" It was a legitimate question.
"I don't know," Naja muttered thoughtfully. "I already told you, I don't even know what to do with you. I mean, you can sleep with the other thralls if you want, but you better keep yourself clean. Or you can build an addition to my den, I guess. Whatever. Stop getting the sloppy, wet mud. Dig deeper. Get the harder, more pliable crap."
Naja grunted. Svimmel obliged.
"I came in with a female. A hybrid - a cheeton. Lollys. Have you seen her?"
The question gained him an incredulous look.
"I don't pay that much attention to the Gods damned comings and goings of thralls, Svimmel. I have other, more important things to do. I mean, I'm almost as new to the pride as you are - except I have family here. A lot of family. My gramps is an old guy, I guess he's been around forever. Like, forever-ever. My dad was born in here, my great-uncle is here, I got another uncle, I got a brother. I got a lot of family. And my gramps is an old-school kind of guy. A real fuddy-duddy. He's the one that caught you, I guess." Naja shrugged. "And caught that.. how did he put it, ah.. that 'soulless, empty-eyed beast' - that's what he called your girlfriend."
"She isn't my girlfriend, ma'am. I was adopted by her dad, so she's more like a --"
"-- Whatever. I don't really give two shits about your family past, Svimmel. Honestly. It would probably be smart to forget all that. The only way you can leave now is ... like, if I say you can, or something. Which I won't. I mean. This place isn't so bad, really."
She sloshed out of the lake and started padding home, calling over her shoulder a loudly exasperated, "C'mon."
Svimmel grunted and picked up the shell. He supposed he could consider himself lucky. His first night in the pride had given him a glance into the harsher side of thralldom. It wasn't pleasant, especially for the females. He worried for Lollys, but she'd always been a slave - however, she'd never had to face the possibility of rape. That troubled Svimmel, it truly did. Her lineage did nothing to help her out, either.
The rest of Svimmel's evening was spent patching holes in Naja's roof while she helped. Yes, he did consider himself lucky. Naja wasn't so bad, really.
All things considered, at least.
wc: 1028
