(So I've been brainstorming outcomes of this... some of them are kinda sad and badass at the same time, and others are... sexy. XDD Might write some of them. Anyway, here we go again! I'll take control of little Kei for a moment if you don't mind.)
The hallway was a long one, and time after time the Mistress stopped to chat with another human; Cardinal simply halted, not turning her head upwards to look at either of the humans in any instance. She did, however, take notice of some of the dogs that stared at her. Some of them had the shock and fear that she was beginning to find pleasurable. Others sneered, no doubt pleased that another wolf had broken - they didn't know her well enough. Perhaps in any other case she would have turned and killed them then and there - them and the ones that sized up her ass like it was some kind of doggie treat. But under the circumstances, she kept her muzzle pointed toward the floor and her face unreadable, forcing herself to think about other things.
Only when they reached the large wooden door did she finally look up. The scent that leaked from under the door was like old death - stale, but still present. When the door opened and the Mistress walked in, she hesitated, letting Spax go first. She trailed behind after a moment, all the hair on her back standing on end - except of course the parts that were caked in blood. Even as she walked in, the scent of death filled her nostrils. It was faint, as if not truly there, but... it was a strange feeling. She fell into step with Spax, suddenly more wary of the room than him. Then, in the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of fur. She twitched and looked up, seeing eyes staring back at her. She would have growled, but there was something about those eyes...
The wolf didn't move. At all. She couldn't hear any breathing. So was it dead? But... why was it standing?
“that’s Torak her first wolf and became her first champion”
Torak...
So it was human magics that did this. She wondered if the wolf had died before or after it was put into the frozen state. She watched it a while longer, then continued on, following Spax and the Mistress.
The room beyond the hallway was blinding. It was like it was all covered in snow, but the room was warm. It was a welcome contrast to the cold, wet cell she had previously been quartered in. Still there were signs of death everywhere. Strange pictures of battling wolves, dismembered appendages... And yet there was something about the room that made her curious. She sniffed at the air, trying to get around the scent of death. Yes, there was definitely something...
The Mistress sat down on one of the structures, and it gave way... The seemingly soft nature of it made Cardinal weak. She was still exhausted from the tests, and the stress put on her wasn't helping. But she couldn't sit down, not here. The room made her more tense than the empty cell block.
Tch... how ironic... No doubt the others think I'm having the time of my fucking life...
She shuddered. What if they made her go back there? Well... if they did, Eight could take his own head and shove it right up his ass. He didn't understand, and she didn't feel like explaining anything to the self-righteous bastard.
She was looking around, sort of pacing, when Spax stepped in front of her. The look she gave him was faintly rebellious, but she swallowed it.
“rember I can take this away quicker then you can blink, also I exspect”, he peused as if searching for the right words.
“a more personal thank you for this as well”, he then stepped out of the way.
Cardinal listened with little patience. She had had enough of his talking. She'd done what he wanted - what the Mistress wanted - why couldn't they just leave her alone for a while? But when the dog stepped aside, all complaints instantly disappeared. One tiny puppy, black body and white head, lay in the center of a large cushion. For one very long moment, she just stared at him. So innocent, so tiny... and hers, apparently. Then, suddenly, she began to step forward.
The little pup had been watching her. When they had locked eyes, it hadn't whimpered, hadn't growled, just watched. Now, as the big thing approached him, he growled and snapped in its puppyish way, not really aggressively but rather defensively. But by the time Cardinal was standing directly over him, he just looked up at her, in awe of the large red wolf with yellow eyes. It was then that Cardinal noticed the color of his eyes...
Red.
They seemed familiar, but she couldn't place them... Instead, she reached down with her nose and nuzzled the little pup. He shivered under the cold, wet nose, but then yipped and nuzzled her back, soon romping around her legs.
The acceptance of a new wolf was amazing - and unnatural. But the facility itself was unnatural, and so Cardinal just accepted it. A smile - a real one, soft and motherly - grew on her muzzle, and she licked the pup's face once.
So... naming...
His white face and black body intrigued her - it looked demonic, to say the least. But his heart felt so pure... Ah. That was right. There had been a name she had been planning on using, but she hadn't had another litter since... It meant "white" in some language from a far off place, and the pureness of the meaning was perfect...
"Kei..."
She muttered it more to herself than the pup, but the raspy, rumbling tone she had said it with made the puppy hesitate for a moment. He tilted his head back and forth, then growled playfully and turned on his belly. Cardinal just smiled and nuzzled him again.
But Spax's presence was anything but faint. She felt him watching, remembered his "expectations." Her smile faded, but she didn't look at him.
"Tch..."
She let her eyes glance upwards, toward the opposite wall.
"I work for the Mistress, not you... I shouldn't give a damn about what you expect..."
She hestitated...
"I
shouldn't..."
Sighed...
"... but I suppose I don't have a choice, do I..."
It was a fact, really. He could tear Kei from her so quickly, have her shoved back into the cell block, have her fight Eight, kill them both, just by whimpering or growling or snarling in front of the Mistress. She hated him for it, despised him... but it was true. It was like learning the rules of the world all over again, in a world where the primary force was the Mistress, and his ambassador, Spax.
"... What did you have in mind."
---
Blood trotted past the Mistress' door without much surprise. He didn't look in, didn't stop and listen. Spax had been adamant that this would happen, and Blood hadn't doubted it. When the Mistress got something in her head, she would attain it. So the scent of Cardinal and a puppy floating out of the room didn't phase him one bit.
He really didn't know where he was going. After talking to Shade like that - after talking to ANY female like that - he felt like shit. He didn't intend to apologize - the damage was done. So now he was simply wandering around. His first fight in a long time was closing in; the next day, the Master had said. But he felt less excited than he should have. No doubt he'd have a hard time of it, coming back after so long, but he didn't feel nervous either. The lack of emotion about the huge event annoyed him; the combination of annoyance and anger at himself had driven him to leave his Master's quarters and attempt to blow off some steam.
The Labrador that had crossed him a while ago passed him again. The dog's jaw was wired shut so the bones could heal, but with the medication the humans provided it would be fine within the month. Until then, he was perpetually pressed against the wall, avoiding Blood at all costs. The doberman snickered as they passed each other, but that was the end of their encounter.
That was when he caught a wiff of Dice.
A faint one, albeit, but distinct. Blood assessed where he was in the facility. Nothing was nearby but the Mistress' wolf cages. Of course Dice could have been going to see Jolene. Actually, that was probably it. Yeah. The albino continued on his way, convinced that the mutt had been off to see that... sexy piece of work...
But the fact that the cages were nearer kept nagging at him, even as he kept wandering aimlessly... or so it seemed. Subconsciously, he had walked all the way to the door that opened into the wolf cages. Suddenly finding himself there, he simply sat. It surprised him less than disheartened him. Why was he so worried about this?
He heard that little rat talking to them, but it was faint enough through the flap that he couldn't make out what he was saying.
In the meantime, Blood wondered whether or not to peek in... just to make sure Dice wasn't in there...
...the bastard.
