Velveteen Angel
It had been a week since the thrall cubs had been given out. Kisukari's head no longer ached, but she was more cautious around Bousvor than she had ever been before. She was cautious of angering him, because it was the first time that she had realized that he would devolve to violence. She wasn't sure why, but she had thought him better than that. She had thought, perhaps, he was above that. No. He was just a viking.
She was lying outside his den, quiet and contemplative. The thrall cubs had bothered her more than she would ever dare admit. It struck something so deep inside her that she found herself actively terrified.
He had been quiet and more stoic that usual in the past week. His piercing green eyes staring blankly out over the pride he usually watched. In truth he'd regretted his hasty actions that night despite his thrall angering him. He had been spending his time alone thinking. A lot. Bousvor wondered if Kisukari had acted like that because she wanted cubs too. As his thrall he'd be responsible for her cubs. It was a headache to think about really. If she really did want cubs, maybe she'd be a good girl and be happy with only one.
The sturdy male decided it was time to talk things out with thrall. He rose to his feet from his bed inside and padded out. Thankfully he found her just outside. But now that he was there, his tongue felt stuck to the roof of his mouth. What would he say? Bousvor settled down not too close and watched her a moment from the corner of his eyes. How to start? He should keep it basic.
"Good day Kisu."
At his departure from his den, coming to sit nearby to her, she felt tense. What did he want? He barely spoke to her the last week - she understood why. She had crossed a line. She knew that when she'd been acting but she felt bound to cross that line. She couldn't not cross it. She was determined not to talk first, and waited until he spoke. His greeting was a bit odd though, and she glanced at him for the first time since he settled nearby.
"Good day Reaver Bousvor," she said, overly politely, her tone dull but her eyes still burned with her usual spark. She was sorrowful, but she was not broken yet. "Do you need me to assist you in anyway?' She hated their difference in rank, and everytime she forced herself to be overly polite she felt the difference even more. Every polite word reinforced that she was a slave. Less than other lions. Whether Bousvor believed that or not, the entire pride believed that. She was a thrall; disposable. She was rather surprised to find that hurt.
"You don't need to refer to my title." He knew how much she hated doing that. Which meant either she was very pissed or something wasn't right. Bousvor shook his head, "no." He sighed softly. She wasn't going to make this easy. "Actually we need to talk." He looked at her and thought for a moment. "I apologize for my hasty actions at the cub giveaway. It seems perhaps I didn't take your feelings into consideration. I've been thinking. Do you want a cub to raise? I could take you out viking until we found a cub you liked and brought it home. Or if you really wish for your own cub I could find you a nice thrall mate."
He tilted his head as he watched for her reaction to his suggestion. Females like cubs right? In truth he'd much rather get a cub on a viking trip. Much simpler and easy. She'd get her cub, and he'd only have one extra thrall to deal with. It was completely doable. Still, he couldn't really blame her if she wanted her own litter, and he'd be willing to try to accommodate that too.
She watched him from the corner of her eye, staying silent as he apologized. She would have been hard-pressed to say anything after his apology, because she was shocked. She had thought that she had been in the wrong, even at her angriest. She had thought the entire system of the pride had been wrong. However, what stunned her most of all was his comments about cubs.
He could find her a nice thrall to mate? Like she was a brood mare? Here, have a baby, I've picked your mate for her. Instead of making her angry, it made her numb. She laid her face on her paw, her eyes staring out in front of them both. She stayed silent even after he finished speaking and struggled to find something to say.
"What would happen to my cubs?" she finally brought herself to ask, her voice pained. "Would they be like me?" Would they be slaves too?
Bousvor watched his thrall. She was unusually quiet throughout it all. If he hadn’t known better he would have suspected she might be ill with a fever. However, he realized it was probably because no other reaver, would apologize to his thrall. It was simply not done. A reaver’s word was law to his thralls. Luckily Bousvor didn’t hold to that standard.
He tilted his head as she spoke. It wasn’t quite what he was expecting either. He thought she’d either be super happy, or deny she wanted cubs. The hefty male flicked his ears as she asked her questions. What did she mean what would happen to her cubs? The same thing that always happened with cubs.
“Well they’d grow up in the pride of course.” His brow was wrinkled slightly in bafflement. Bousvor nodded. “Aye, they would. Unless you can find a freeborn, reaver, or captain to claim your cubs as his. But if you do that they’d probably take the cubs to raise themselves.” He reached out a paw to lightly touch her shoulder. Perhaps he’d been mistaken that she’d want to raise her cubs herself?
So her cubs would be taken from her if she wanted them to have a better life? Ouch. That hurt worse than she had thought it would. She closed her eyes to brace herself, but found herself flinching when he moved his paw to touch her shoulder. She shuddered back away from him and lock eyes with him.
"I'd rather die than bring cubs into this world then," she admitted. She had always thought she would have cubs with some prince. She'd find someone who would take care of her, and she would have little princesses and princes, but now she was a slave. She would only ever give births to slaves.
He pulled his paw back when she shuddered away from him. He was trying to help, and her reaction confused him. Bousvor watched her with sympathy in his eyes. Surely she'd want cubs eventually, but he wouldn't force her to have cubs if she really didn't want them.
"Well in that case I'll have to turn down any offers I get to breed you," he said trying to make it into a joke. "Can't have my thrall dying after all. Wouldn't look good on me, and you'd be less useful dead." Bousvor was doing his best to cheer her up, although as a typical male it mayhap have fallen a bit short.
"I'm looking to go aviking again soon Kisu. Do you want to come with me?" The tawny male was getting to his feet and stretching. It was about time he went out again.
She hated the sympathy in his eyes. To her, it just looked like pity. She was a princess, damn it. She was not to be pitied! She was to worshiped and adored – feared even. She was a princess…but she was really feeling like a slave. She couldn’t stop herself from meeting his eyes when he made his joke. “Offers to breed me?” She asked, sounding unbelievably horrified.
Later she would look back and think it was rather sweet of him to be making jokes, but now they just made her want to cry. His offer to take her viking was also surprising. She blinked before slowly nodding her head.
“It would be nice to get out of the pride for a while,” she mused softly.
The large male finished his stretched and chuckled softly. "Oh don't worry. I haven't had any anyhow." He was slightly amused by her reaction, but figured she hadn't encountered that part yet. Bousvor wasn't really surprised. It wasn't like she was the sweetest thrall around. Reavers could be worried her arrogance would get passed onto cubs. He liked his spunky thrall though and was glad she'd eventually come back to him. It certainly kept his life lively, and she was worth a few headaches.
He nodded. He too was getting itchy feet. "It'll be hard work, but I think it would be good for you to come with me. If you behave then maybe I'll let you pick something from what I keep as yours." Bousvor smiled fondly at her. Every lady deserved something pretty now and then. Plus it showed he held no hard feelings for what she'd tried to do.
Kisukari scowled at him. "You better not get any offers," she huffed, her irritation clearly visible on her face. Her sorrow was disappearing, replaced instead with her usual fire.
She smirked at the offer that he could keep something. "Oooh, you do know how to tempt a girl, Bousvor," she murmured, fluttering her eyelashes at him in a mockery of flirting. Her next words were serious though, despite the mockery. "I'll do my best."
