Flesh And Fur: A Dance With Darkness

11- Intrigue

"What is that thing?" Brolyn growled up on entering the den.

Elise looked at him, wide-eyed and confused. What was he referring to? The food she was preparing? Had she done something wrong or left something undone? She stared at him in panic as he raised an eyebrow, not giving any hint as to what he meant.

"The structure behind our home, stupid." Dara said telepathically, rolling her eyes as she padded past Brolyn to eye what Elise was preparing. Her tongue flicked across the chopping board on the crude countertop, grasping a thick piece of boar fat and dragging it into her mouth.

"Oh, I.. uh.. I procured some chickens today f... for you, a.. and I am building a coop to house them in so I can give you fresh eggs every day. A... a... and when I traded in the village, Edna said she would also give me ducks. I.. I figured th.. that Dara could use the extra nutrition for her pregnancy and y... you may enjoy the eggs too. And even the fresh killed birds when I have enough of a flock collected. F... for you, I mean." Elise stammered, unable to maintain eye contact.

"Chickens? Live chickens?" Brolyn queried, raising an eyebrow, his tongue absentmindedly flicking across his lips. "So that... shack and mess of sticks is going to be a coop?" He stared down at her for a few moments before crinkling his nose and turning toward the den room. "Hm... I'll let it be, then. It seems you're finally learning how to properly care for your alphas."

Dara stole another piece of meat from the chopping block and contentedly chewed it, occasionally rolling her tongue out of her mouth.
"Darling, we are chicken owners now!" She said excitedly. We are really rising through the ranks. Soon, we will be elites! Even Fen, from Alpha Grey's family doesn't have his own flock yet!"
She snatched another piece of meat and happily prance after him, her tail wagging with delight. "We will have to invite some elites over once everything is ready!"

Elise breathed a sigh of relief, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, and returned her attention to chopping the meat. Perhaps the masters would be so pleased at her efforts that they wouldn't want to beat her for a few days.

***

The next morning dawned, and she stepped outside to be greeted by a gentle kiss of light on her face, the smells of the forest filling her nose with a sweetness that was a contrasted the acrid, damp stench of the den. She took a deep breath, feeling a brief moment of tranquility before contemplating her duties for the day.

First, she needed to check with Edna and collect the list of herbs she required to complete their trade. That would be followed by feeding the household and cleaning the den. Once they were gone and the den was cleaned, she could gather the herbs, make the trade, and hopefully finish the coop and enclosure.

Dara was insanely excited about the poultry and planned to have friends of hers over soon to show it off and gloat about it. If Elise didn't finish it soon, there would be hell to pay. She wanted to stay in their favor, though she absolutely hated herself for thinking that way. Survival is survival, though. If staying on their good side kept her from beatings, then she would try to do so, though it meant complete subservience.

Her muscles ached from the exertion of the previous day, but it was nothing compared to the soreness she endured after a night of beatings. The allure of things that Edna had promised to get for her was something she couldn't pass up. The idea of having someone else to take care of the trade for her was a gift she hadn't allowed herself to hope for. It meant less trips to the village, less chance of being seen by someone from Brolyn's group, and less risk of being beaten over the possibility of her airing out their affairs.

The walk to the village was a pleasant one. Birds sang their morning greetings to one another, chipmunks and squirrels darted about in the trees, leaping from branch to branch like acrobats, and a small garter snake slithered rapidly across the path.