-Godsdammit-, there were times when 'Shen hated some of the other pridemembers. In particular, Verge'lian and his insufferable 'twin', Telemakhos. 'Shen had been out on his rounds earlier today and found a cub -far- too close to the sacred volcano. Always alert for spies and the like within their ranks, he had dragged the cub away and begun to question the young thing. Perhaps... just -perhaps- he'd gotten a bit carried away after that...
But it was no reason to lay into him as if he'd done something horrible! He probably hadn't helped by trying to fight but... you would think he'd -killed- the wretched thing out of malicious intent from the way the twins laid into him! He'd simply been trying to protect the pride from spies... why couldn't they see that? Muttering to himself, still furious, 'Shen was now limping back toward his den. He had bloody claw-marks all over him, and one ear had had a chunk taken out of it by Te. He was hurt, exhausted, and irritable, and wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep off the pain.
Tiis had been waiting for him, of course...she usually did. Truthfully she was fond of the twisted fellow...he complimented her nicely, and once he came around to seeing what a fine pair they made, their current arrangement would become even better...not that it wasn't all fun and games already. A gentle breeze, however, carried the first warnings to her. Blood...'Shen...'Shen's blood... With a growl, she came to her feet, padding out to meet the wounded demon. "Mmm..." Making a sound that hinted at what was on her mind, she sighed softly, moving to assist him. "Well well, what happened to you?"
'Shen growled softly at that - wanting to insist that he didn't -need- any help. But, really, he hurt too much right now to refuse her. "Verge and Te -happened-..." he muttered, completely neglecting to explain why.
"Ah." She could make educated guesses as to the why. "Well it is their job to meddle..." The slender female pointed out, canting head to one side as she ushered him into the den, situating him so that he might more easily lie down. Poor dear...it wasn't nice to see him hurting in an un-fun way.
'Shen made a rude noise at that, even as he slumped to the ground. "I don't give a s**t if they meddle so long as it's not with -me-!" That last word was more of a snarl, but then the large male winced and coughed slightly. At some point, one of them had thrown him into some rocks and he suspected a couple of ribs were cracked. Juuust great.
"Oh I know...it's not fair for them to interfere..." She soothed, "It simply means we'll have to get them back for it...anonymously, of course." Her grin was wicked for a moment, before she went to 'grooming' the other and cleaning him up. She might not be a healer, but some of those gashes needed at least some tending.
'Shen blinked at that, and then actually let out a soft almost-purr, pleased with the direction of her thoughts. Of course, that would likely not be for a while ... until they didn't suspect anything. Laying back a bit, he didn't stop her from tending to him, eyes lidding slightly. Some of that grooming hurt, but it wasn't as bad as the initial wounds had been. And, somehow, the fact that it was Tiis hurting him now ... that was okay.
"Mmm...I daresay you'll have some pretty scars..." She observed, not at all minding the taste of 'Shen's blood even now. Though she'd savored it in their rowdy play of times before, it was, perhaps, a touch bitter knowing that it had been in battle with those damnable Spardas. They had all but taken over the pride, smug bastards...eventually they'd need to be taken down a level.
'Shen rumbled at that, a faintly pleased note to the tone of it. He rather liked scars... having a few of those already. Eventually, he just let his head sink down onto his paws, eyes lidding a bit. And after a while, he ended up falling asleep - whilst Tiis still tended to his wounds.
But she soon finished up, and with a quiet purr, settled down next to him, able to hear the steady rise and fall that was 'Shen's breathing. That was the funny thing, despite all of his rough treatment of her, he'd never out and out abandoned her... Oh she'd sink her little claws into his very soul one way or another, a plan that was already working to her estimation.
It was no more than an hour or two later, however, that 'Shen's body decided it -really- didn't like this situation. One of those cuts had gotten quite a bit of dirt rubbed into it earlier... and despite Tiis's care, she hadn't gotten all of it out. Twitching slightly in his sleep, 'Shen made a low noise of discomfort, starting to shiver a bit. Normally, it probably wouldn't have been a big deal, but the combination of multiple wounds made what would have been a minor infection more serious. And that... was starting to give him something of a fever.
She noticed that stirring, the way the other's body heated up, and blue eyes slowly cracked open. "'Shen?" She murmured, long ago having dropped the affectation of 'master', despite punishment and protest. Scooting nearer, she pressed her lithe form against his own, worridly nudging at the older demon. Despite herself, his health did cause concern.
'Shen made a low noise at the sound of her voice, something within him responding to that as ... a thing of safety, someone to trust. Which was odd, in the sort of pride this was. After a moment or two, one eye cracked open, and he made a whuffing sound - cold now, and still in pain. He could figure out easily enough what was going on ... and he definitely didn't like it.
"You're sick..." She soothed softly, nuzzling at his un-injured ear. Sadly, the best thing that the other could do was to sleep it off, as it was warmer and safer in their den together. All snuggled up against him like this, it was strangely comforting to her as well. "Is there anything you'd like me to do?"
"I noticed..." 'Shen half-muttered, though there was more annoyance there for his own body's betrayal than for her. Or so he saw it. He was supposed to be -stronger- than this. And he was thirsty, but he had no idea how she might get water to him ... since he was fairly sure she wasn't about to let him move around very much. Somehow, though, that was comforting - that someone cared. "I'd like a drink," he finally rumbled. "Not sure... how that's gonna happen, though."
"Well..." She murmured, "Our crafters aren't completely good for nothing..." Tiis had managed to filch a 'bowl' of sorts...from one of them, which was really nothing more than a rounded bit of dried clay that had to be constantly reinforced with fresh leaves. But it worked, to an extent. "Now don't move..." She admonished, slipping up to go fetch it, the small article gingerly held betwixt sharp teeth. Ugh...the clay always tasted nasty.
'Shen huffed at that, and nodded - not planning on going anywhere for the time being. Now that he'd been lying still for a while, everything seemed to hurt even -more- than it had before.
It was a few minutes, even sprinting all the way there, before she returned, water in the shallow bowl...and by some miracle she'd managed not to slosh it all out over the sides. Setting it down in front of him, she whuffed quietly as she flopped down next to him. "There...now drink it and then try to rest, mmm?"
'Shen rumbled at her, raising his head a bit to lap at that water. For all that it tasted faintly of clay and leaves now... it still helped. Putting his head back down then, he made a little whuffing noise at her. "Only if you're going to lay beside me and keep me warm," he murmured then - though part of him wondered why in the world he would say such a thing to a -slave-...
"Naturally..." She purred, "Wouldn't dream of doing otherwise, silly..." And nuzzling up to him, she tucked her lithe body in against his. This just...felt like her place, where she was supposed to be. A funny, and disgustingly sentimental thought. Well, whether he liked it or not, 'Shen was always going to be her playmate.
