In Dire Straits - Scraps [Caesar]

The clouds grumbled and threatened to poor rain. The den in which was once pregnant with youth had filtered out and set their own paths. A son dug deep into the earth, nestled beneath a gnarled tree. A daughter bloomed as red as the roses she wore as a heavy fragrence. The others surely did their own things as the father lumbered to the edge of the den of the Heralds as the daughter of roses had gossiped through lude tongue about a lost dragonling. How odd and there was a pang of deja vu as she strung her plan along a smile all too familiar.

He looked for the blossom upon an open chest, to smell iron. "Dragonling." he called, hoping to arouse the orange draughter.

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[Image: wolf_skull_by_nayuki910-d5dlzpz.gif]

Her return had been a royal shit fest and she hadn't been to pleased with how it'd gone. The red dragonling seethed in silent fury as she was lead away to have her wounds tended to. She'd have to return the favor to her dearest little sister and her darling niece sometime very soon. Caesar's shoulder throbbed painfully along with her heartbeat, the bite mark pounding as blood seeped from her injury. Still, she supposed it could have gone much worse, Mother could have taken her head off if she'd been so keen too and she'd only managed to miss a decapitation on the whim of the Dragon's mercy. 

And so she rested now, the best thing for healing after the poultices and bandages were applied to slow the bleeding and keep the area from getting infected. She'd watched the healers work with sharp interest, memorizing every herb and every movement. It was good, soothing work and it could be applied in so many various ways. Her eyes were closed but her mind was racing far too much to let her sleep so when she heard his call she split a single eyelid open and stared blankly up at the large male. "Yes?" Who was he and what the hell did he want with her? More hazing by the elites no doubt, her being a new ranked serf and all. Caesar prepared herself for the worst sighed heavily, "If ya gonna attack me just go ahead and get it over with." 

Oh how the mighty had fallen.

She was easy to spot, a girl with flaming orange coat and the smell of iron and weeds. Orcrist wrinkled his muzzle at the ointments they used, such a strong smell and he even kept his distance. He only needed to talk, and she only needed to listen. Curiosity is what drove him here. "Ain't here t'cause a stir. Jus' wanna talk. Not my place t'maul y'further." For she was Azuhel's property.

So the large beast sat, tail draped around him. "Sari told me 'bout t'scuffle. Seems my daughter gave yah grief, eh?" A chuckle escaped from his throat. He was impressed, though even more impressed this long lost daughter was still alive after everything he heard. If he had been the one to take in Caesar, things would've been very different. Such a contrast between the Commandant and his Outrider wife.

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So he wasn't here to make her life more miserable after all? Interesting. Golden eyes narrowed in scrutiny as she took in his appearance. Large, confident mannerisms, well groomed, an air of authority about him as if he is used to others listening to his words. These small things told Caesar that he was in some sort of position of power within Alteron and she wondered how high he was ranked. Did it really matter thought? Mm.. perhaps. He sat and she placed her chin on her paws, resting her neck muscles and giving her screaming shoulder some relief. 

When he mentioned Sarissa her eyes narrowed and her silky tail swished slowly behind her, stirring the bed of leaves she laid on. The man chuckled and she stared back without expression, seething silently she waited for his amusement to pass before she muttered softly, "You must be my dear little sisters husband." That didn't make him blood though, not to her. Not that blood relations seemed to matter around here anymore. "It was a shit storm but ah suppose it coulda been worse." Azuhel could have slit her throat on the spot but instead she'd been spared, the Dragon had even gone so far as  to protect Caesar. 

The thought warmed the cockles of her hard little heart, the fact that her mother still loved her. Her shoulder hurt like a son of a bitch but it was less than she deserved, to be honest. Leaving had been a stupid, stupid mistake and she had expected to pay the price or her stupidity. It'd take a lot of making up to Azuhel to get back in her good graces but Caesar was more than willing to put in the work. First thing was first however, "A lot has changed since I've been gone. Who are you and can you tell me what's happened while i've been away?"

Oh those eyes could pierce hearts, but luckily for Orcrist, he was not a man to bear his easily. Instead, he sat with elegance, which was surprising for a man his size and stature, his belly swollen from hardy meals. Ears fanned forward, hearing the whisper she spoke under soft breath. "Aye, Atlas is m'wife. A good woman, one I admire. Ain't too many I do 'sides Azuhel o'course." He chuckled again, this one softer than the last.

Caesar pressed forward, a good start in his visitation. Her questions were valid, ones he figured he should reply to considering she had just returned. Orcrist was young, perhaps not even born yet when Caesar left, so it was no surprise the man knew nothing of her or her siblings, but the pelt she bore was obvious she was of Azuhel's blood. "Yah, a lot has changed, indeed. More than I would'a liked. Ah well, ain't so bad now." Considering he was Commandant, a noble in Azuhel's realm. "But ah, where are my manners. M'name's Orcrist, Rapier n' Scimitar were m'parents. T'Queen died and t'King lost a power struggle t'a man named Ajax. He became Sovereign. Didn't last long." Because he was just as weak as Scimitar.

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Orcrist confirmed that he was indeed Atlas's mate and father to the demon spawn, Sarissa. His chuckle was light and soft and she considered for a moment how different he was from his volatile mate. Perhaps there was a different side to him that he was keeping hidden from her, something harsher and more violent than the amicable face that he presented to her now.

Her thoughts were pushed aside as she forced herself to pay attention to him and ignore the throbbing in her shoulder as he described his heritage. The Sun of Rapier and Scimitar, hmm? The names were familiar to her of course. Long forgotten members of their own failed societies. Dead and gone, rotting in the dirt. That would also explain the remarkable, uncanny resemblance between his daughter and the old Queen. She wasn't sure how she felt about this new bit of information so she filed it away to investigate later when she was alone. 

From what Orcrist was telling her, Alteron hadn't fared too well in the time that she'd be gone. It looked alright now, she supposed but she wondered if that wasn't just her mothers doing. She wouldn't put it past the Dragon to seize the opportunity to put herself on the throne. In fact, she wondered why Azuhel had not done it sooner. Was she playing it safe? "Who's in charge now?" A curious, soft probe as she pumped her new.. companion for information.

This one was quiet and calculative, just like her mother. Orcrist could see so much potential in her, and wondered just what the Dragon had in store for her. Caesar was Azuhel's property. Even if Orcrist was greedy, he knew the limits of his power. He was content on Atlas and their brood, though expanding the Court was something that intrigued him. Just how far could he go? he wondered.

So, the dragonling took all of his information in like a sponge, soaking it and storing it for later. He could see the cogs of her mind churning, and she then asked the most important question of all. The Commandant smiled wider, teeth nearly poking from his lips. "Y'ma o'course. She been runnin' this place since Rapier died. Just ain't had the chance to seize the throne 'til now." And it was the perfect opportunity to do so. Orcrist could barely wait for her to sit on that limestone throne with a golden crown of jewels upon her head. The once-prince did not find her ascension anything but remarkable. He was too loyal for anything else.

"Y'hungry?"

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Caesar relaxed when she heard that it was her mother that was in power, likely pulling strings from behind the scenes as always. It was both comforting and a bit cutting to learn that even without Caesar's help or support Azuhel had continued with to grow in strenght and power. Azuhel didn't need Caesar, never had. But Caesar needed her mother. Desperately. She regretted leaving, she regreted everything and she would give anything to take it back if it would make Azuhel happy. 

She swiped her tongue across her lips and moved into a more comfortable position, steel colored eyes considering the male for a moment. He was strong looking, his olive green eyes holding a certain level of intelligence. His gaze was sharp and yet thoughtful, as if he were considering his own place within the Dragon's society. Everyone was always grabbing for power, her mother was hardly the only ambitious wolf within Alteron. Did this male want to steal power from Azuhel, would he betray them? The red woman gave a great mental shove and pushed the paranoid, intrusive thoughts from her mind with force. 

They served no purpose and Caesar didn't have time for dwelling on negativity. "Thanks, for the information." Caesar drawled softly. It was all she had wanted to know really. Everything else was of little consequence. "Y'hungry?" Her lips slowly curved into a wide, hungry grin and she gave a short nod as she move to her paws. Pain radiated from her shoulder and the wound began to weep but she ignored it for the moment. "I thought you'd never ask." If he motioned for her to stay because of her injury she was wave the offer away. She was a Serf, Serf's had to catch their own damn food regardless of whether or not they were injured. Caesar knew her place.

Now that they were caught up on their history lesson, Orcrist stood, his paws inching toward the mouth of the cave. He would let Caesar get up on her own; she seemed fine enough despite the large gash upon her shoulder and chest. “I know a good place f’huntin’ and an even better place f’eatin’.” The Circle of Green was always filled with prey wanting to fill themselves with the best plants around since their little haven was usually rotten and decaying. The rose bush also attracted fatty deer, but that was his daugher’s realm now. No need to stir anything more.

Orcrist then walked out, going at his own, comfortable pace. Hopefully she’d be able to keep up; otherwise, he’d just leave her behind. A shame that would be, considering she would be the one to catch his food.

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Walking hurt a bit more than she had anticipated, each step sending jolts through her body that made her wounds scream in pain. She needed something for the pain and soon. Sharp silver eyes scanned the plants and shrubs that surrounded them for any sign of a herb that would ease her suffering. The pale bark of a nearby tree caught her attention and she focused in on it, noticing the grey patches all over it. Birch. 

"I'll catch up." Caesar muttered to the hulking man beside her and headed for the tree, not bothering to see whether or not Orcrist had stopped or continued on without. It was a young tree, the lowest branches still within reach if she stretched up onto her back legs. Carefully, she dug her teeth into the slender branch and pulled down with all her weight, snapping it off. Pleased with herself she licked her chops and spat to the side, trying to rid her mouth of the bitter taste of bark. 

She plucked every leaf from the small branch, considering how much pain she was in and chewed them up quickly. Caesar couldn't help the face of disgust she made as she chewed the leaves. They were necessary to ease her pain but they still tasted horrible. Bleck. Finally satisfied that the leaves would do their job she trotted to catch up to Orcrist, willing the side effects of the herbs to kick in soon. Her shoulder and chest were already burning and they hadn't even started hunting yet. If he had stopped to watch her be weird and strange or gave her an odd look she'd give him a blank stare in return, "Birch leaves help relieve pain." Not that she felt the need to explain herself or anything.

Caesar came with him, but quickly spotted something she wanted besides food. Orcrist stared at her as she told him to go on without her, and the Commandant obliged. He wasn't the quickest walker, and she could easily track him through the woods. So, he left Caesar to her own devices as he followed a trail going off toward the Circle of Green. There, plenty of animals congregate to eat their fill and drink until their stomachs nearly burst. They were too comfortable in the land that was Alteron now closed off to the world.

So as he went, Orcrist hummed. The crows watched, the Eyes of the Dragon. Olive met beadie black, his tail swishing slowly behind him in rythem of his tune. Soon enough though, Caesar showed up, walking beside him, their eyes meeting. She mentioned that the birch offered some kind of pain relief, and he rolled his shoulders. "Ah figured, ain't in no hurry. No need t'explain y'self." So they continued on, step by step until they came close to the Hot Springs. The steam rose just above the trees.

"Go on an' find somethin' fer us." A request rather than a demand. And if she brought him something good, maybe he would offer something in return.

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