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Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Cedar laid down in the doorway. Somber emotions filled him.

So, that elf lady had killed this "master" of hers? He had no idea. He'd have to ask questions later.

His heart strings pulled as she fought against the scar tissue in her chest. He'd love to treat that for her, but until she was willing to come out, and let him touch her, there was no way to. This would just have to work itself out.

He heaved a big breath, and stayed right where he was. He hoped she would eventually work up the courage to come out and at least investigate the room more. He could talk to her more then. Until then, she was at least safe. --If choosing some less-than-human habits. He didn't really mind those though. He was used to them. The others outside might be less understanding though. Better to keep them out, at least for now.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Cedar chuckled in a somewhat amused and jovial way.

"Muh name's Cedar. -- Like da tree. Muh daddy give it tuh me. Ya dont's got ta come out ifn' ya dun wanna.. bu' i's gunna be hard ta git ya any food 'r water unner dere. --An who's 'Teddy'?"

He raised one eyebrow and his ears twitched.

"anyhoo-- Ya dun has ta be scared like a lil' bunny rabbit un'er dere. Anyone as tries ta hurt ya, I'll bites em for ya, how 'bout dat?"

The girl just cowered and sobbed at him and tried to scoot away from the edge of the bed. He knew better than to try and invade that space. This was very much like trying to win the trust of a wild, wounded animal.

"Tell ya wat. Ya dun has tuh come out, but ya will 'ventally. Everone gotta pee soon'r -r later. ---This ain't no cage hon. Ya can come out when'er ya wants. In da meantime, I sees ya wants ta be lef' alone. At's fine. Ain't no rush. I'mma gunna head back o'er tuh da doorway, and keeps people out. If'n ya change ya mind, and wanna talk, jus come up behin' me, aright? I ain't no prison warden-- but I kin keeps ya safe, aright?"

He made as much of a nod as was possible with his chin literally flat on the floor, then scooted to turn around, levered back up onto all fours again, then plodded to the door, where he laid down once again, this time facing out through the doorway.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Cedar's ears perked up, and he turned his head to the side, looking back into the room behind him.

He had seated himself on the floor, just in the open doorway of the room, looking out. He wasn't really sure why he was sitting there, like that; He assured himself he was just waiting for hot water, whenever Nina was able to get it ready and bring it from the kitchens-- but deep down, he could tell there was a more complicated answer. He rubbed his head in confusion. He had felt these kinds of impulses from more social forest creatures, but he did not expect to have it suddenly appear inside his own behavior set. It occurred to him that he was guarding a den. Maybe the part of him that was bear, and the part of him that was man, had colluded in some unexpected way?

Regardless, he heard the girl speak for the very first time, then heard shuffles as she clamored out of the bed, then crawled along the floor to hide underneath it.

Master?

He was sure that was the word the girl had spoken, but he was confused by the implication. People did not have masters-- Domesticated animals-- creatures who had the will and intellectual grit to survive and thrive on their own literally bred out of them-- THOSE had masters, and could not survive without them. A thought that was dark and hideous crawled through his mind, that maybe this girl had been.. Selectively bred.. The same process that humans had used to transform wolves into ... Dogs. The idea of a "Dog-ified" human, disturbed him deeply. What kind of cruel, sick, and twisted being would envision or enact such a thing? He hoped very intensely that this was just his imagination running wild with him, and that there was some other, less horrendous explanation.

Regardless, she seemed able to talk. Maybe she could shed some light on the mystery of what she meant by 'master'.

Since she was already hiding UNDERNEATH the bed, like some trapped animal, he decided to forego standing upright, and instead just levered himself up onto all fours, then plodded slowly into the room, to lay down on the floor beside the bed, 90 degrees to its orientation, looking under it.

"Hullo un'er 'ere." he drawled. He could feel his voice vibrate the floor, with the silly position he had placed himself in. He imagined he must look more like a fat and lumpy 'carpet' at the moment. (another chilling and horrible thing that humans did with wild animals. Carpets.) "Ya don' hav' ta hide ya know. I won' bitecha."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

"Naw, 'ats gud. I dun tooked enough o yo' time. Thankya ageen miss--"

"Nina."

"Thankya ageen Miss Nina. I'll jus sit 'ere in da door until yas can get i' in 'ere."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Cedar put a paw on the tavern girl's shoulder. It was heavy, but he did his best to be gentle.

"......Thank ya..."

The words came out with more emotion than he really wanted, but it was hard to keep them in check. He was glad to have these feelings, even though they hurt. He was glad to be has father's son.

The tacit implication of the girl's voiced concern and admonishment stung, but he had become used to such things. It always hurt-- he had never hurt anybody, nor been with anybody. Ever. But people had feelings about him all the same. His brother took it harder than he did, but right now, he had to push it aside. Truth would win out in the end. It always did. .. Usually.

He left the door open, then carried the unconscious girl inside, before looking for a comfortable sitting chair to set her down in for her bath.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

"I dun got an ans'er fer dat..." he drawled solemnly "But I intends ta fin' out. Go git da room ready, an I'll bring 'er back 'ere."

The girl nodded, shaken, then departed down the corridor, unlocked the door of the room at the far end, then motioned at him, indicating it was open.

Saying nothing, he strode back into the room with a purpose, then bent down beside the half-conscious girl, and softly drolled into her ear.

"Aright-- I's sorry I lef ya layin here like at.... I gots a room fer ya. I'ma gunna pick ya up naow, un'erstan? Get ya way from all dis noise-- git ya cleaned up. Aright?"

The girl made an unintelligible sound, which he wasn't sure was assent, or dissent. It didn't matter. She could NOT stay out here. Very carefully, like a father picking up a sleeping child, he scooped her up, layed her over his shoulder, then carried her out of the common room and down the hall. He could feel eyes on him, and he felt very vulnerable and naked all of a sudden, but this needed to be done. He'd suffer whatever baseless accusations would surely come from it later.

Moving with purpose, he shuffled down the hall, then beside the young tavern girl.

"She need's a bath-- Kin ya spare some hot water, a washrag, an some nice gen'le soap? Mebbe some towels? -- and... Ya knows where I kin git 'er some clothes ta wear? What she got on right naow... Aint fit fer wearin. I'd be much abliged."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

"Hey uh..." he drawled, unsure how to put his and put it properly and discretely. "'Ere's a.. a... delicate sit'ation as needs taken care ah."

He hunkered down to get closer to the girl's ear, and spoke as hushed as he could.

"'At ere girl o'er dere-- on da table. She been through a lot." he seemed to try to almost disappear into the floor, trying to find the words to let the situation be known, and do it candidly. "She uh... She been mistreated bad-- I dun know when she had a proper meal, and she got dirt all o'er 'er... but more an dat..." If it were possible for him to cower any harder while trying to broach this topic, it was not readily discernible how. He was practically crouching now, rather than stooping, and practically trying to hide behind the furniture. "Some fellar as.... She been violated, if ya un'erstands me."

He slowly started to straighten back up, seeming to find his nerve again. "I wants ta help 'er. She need better an 'at table, surroun'ed by loud idiots out 'ere. Does ya gots a room she kin use? One wit a nice sof' bed, an away from .. all dis?"

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Cedar eyed the meat and cheese tray jealously, watching a few hands snag a morsel here and there, longing to grab it and run.

A most peculiarly dressed man apparently was his last patient today-- if he hurried, he could still score the tray for himself.

Sucking in a deep breath, and motioning to a chair for the man to sit, he once more had that 'distracted' expression cross his face, while running his claws down the man's back.

"Got stuck wit a pig sticker.. Bruises... Nutin' else as fer as I keen tell... I'll get ya fixed up in a jiffy."

He moved his hand lower, to cover the area where the sword had penetrated the flesh, then looked distracted again while the blue aura flickered off his claws once more, then moved the hand up the back, then down the arms.

"A'right-- 'Ere ya goes. Try not ta get yaself stuck agaeen, a'right?" he said to the man, before giving him a playful pat on his back. "Now-en... I got's a date wit' some dinner!"

Swooping in like an absurdly oversized hawk on a tiny mouse, he glided to the table, snatched up the entire platter, then glided back out again to find a distant corner of the room. He rather disliked being around this many people at once. He wasn't entirely sure why-- Inwardly, he suspected it had something to do with being half bear, and bears being predominantly solitary creatures. It was like a mishmash of natures duking it out inside him, now that he thought about it more, while shoving a fat handful of meat, cheese, and day old rolls into his mouth and snarfing without any concern about table manners. The part of him that was bear, wanted him to just ditch this place, eat as much food as possible, and get the hell away from whatever madness was going to transpire. It didn't care about anyone, or anything, except food, sleeping, --and when circumstances presented themselves as favorable-- a drive for sex. It didn't really care for people. It didn't really care for company. It didn't really care for basically anything at all other than basic needs and wants-- and it was very crabby about it at times. But the other half of him-- The part of him that was a man--- It cared deeply about his dad, his forest friends, the town he grew up next to, and his siblings. It cared about wanting people to know and understand him as a person, it cared about what would happen to any kids that might be sired if he indulged his instincts, and a whole lot of other confusing things. Sometimes it felt like a knock-down drag-out in his soul as those two forces fought over what actions he should be taking.

Abruptly, he looked down at the tray, and noted he had consumed a little over half its contents without having any other considerations at all. Sure, he was several days underfed-- and it was making it harder to behave like a person-- But he was *STILL* half-person, damn it. He felt very embarrassed, and ashamed of himself for his behavior, and had a very sudden need for catharsis.

He slowly snuck back up to the table, and placed the half-emptied tray back where he found it, then glanced behind him at the still unconscious girl, laying face down on the table amid all those people. That feeling of shame burned on the back of his neck and across his brow in a very visceral way. That poor child was even more starved than he was. Was half naked, vulnerable, surrounded by noise and confusion, dirty... The idea that he had just completely spaced her off to run off with the tray burned him inside, and once more that fight inside his being flared up-- the demands to seek food, and do it immediately, butted heads with what was a moral imperative to get that girl someplace safe, cleaned up, clothed, and otherwise looked after.

He scanned the room, noting a small young woman darting back and forth from the common room, and a small side door leading, presumably, to the kitchen.

He sucked in his feelings, and made a choice. He was going to be a man today-- and a good man at that-- Like his pappy had taught him.

He glided around the edge of the commotion, and set up a small ambush for the girl, to catch her discretely as she left for the kitchens, then hailed her, while she carried a tray of empty glasses over her shoulder.

"'Scuse me ma'am.." he drawled "But kin I has a moment wit ya? I's important."

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

"Well.. I's can think a be'r ways ta go ifn' he din't make it... Sound' like 'e made a good call ta run off 'n join ya. Were awful sudden like. --Leas' he left a note."

He took his hands away from Yvonne, then stretched.

"Got any o'der takers? Od'erwise, I'mma gunna take at 'ole damn platter an run off wit it." he chortled, pointing at the charcuterie tray the inn keeper had left.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

"Really naow? Ya dun say?...." he drawled with a cross between bewilderment and amusement. "Well-- At leas' yas all still alive. ... 'an still gots all ya arms 'n legs."

He moved to the ribs on that same side of her chest, just below her breast, and placed the other hand on her back.

"Breathe in-- slow an' gen'le-- All da way in naow... hol' it a minute... Aright, now let i' out..."

He moved his hands to the opposite placement, to work the other side of the chest.

"An' what 'bout 'at 'Enry fellar? 'E e'r make it up ta ya?"