The Beast Within Us

Chapter 10: ⑄ Chala

⑄ Chala took in the warden's outstretched hand as she was offered the remains of Yara's share of soup. A little voice niggled in the back of her mind, likening the situation to a dog gobbling up the leftovers that fall from its master's table - the huntress being the canine in question. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment it seemed like she wouldn't take the offered food at all. However, better judgement won over, and she accepted the bowl with a faint thank you, finishing her seconds a little slower than her firsts. Being angry all the time was tiring, and as much as she hated to admit it, Yara had been the most cordial of all her encounters.

Silence permeated again as the other woman picked at her nails and rubbed her fingers, and the huntress wondered if it was a nervous habit of some sort. It took her some time, but Yara finally began to speak again, and Chala listened intently, following the wardeness with her gaze as she paced about the room. Perhaps another nervous habit of hers. A chuckle did escape her when Yara explained her dislike of their predicament.

"Trust me, the feeling is fully mutual," she snorted.

Yara continued, as did Chala with her observation. The bath had soothed her nerves, and the soup filled her belly nicely, making patience an easier concept to entertain on the hewan's part. The warden's plans and desires laid out plainly, she took her time considering her prospects. Essentially, Yara desired her to be a bodyguard and a protector, fighting on her behalf.

If she were honest, the proposition came as a surprise for a number of reasons, Darryn being one. If any soldier had seemed like the right hand of Lady Wheiler, it would've been that man. Perhaps she was mistaken about the nature of their relationship, professional or otherwise, and he was not tasked solely with the immediate protection of his warden.

The voice that niggled returned, whispering of the freedom such a position would offer, as well as the power. The amount of trust that would be placed into her hands, to an extent, if she did accept the lady warden's offer. 'And should things go sour,' it schemed, 'the Warden will be at your mercy. If she double crosses you, it will be the last thing she ever does.' Calculating and callous as the thought was, the fact remained true. In some ways, this bargain was more dangerous for Yara.

Chala considered all of her options, which were really very few at the heart of it, thinking and rethinking on what had been presented to her. Her tail swayed slowly across the wood floor, rhythmic in its movements as if it had a mind of its own. Once the tigress came to her decision, the movement stopped, and her sharp eyes found the Warden's once more.

"...Fine. I will accept your offer," she said finally, breaking the silence and anticipation, and nodding to herself solemnly. Chala stood and crossed her arms over her chest, humming as an afterthought crossed her mind. "We should enter into a blood pact. For assurance on both our parts; it's traditional for agreements like these. Even humans used to do it in the past, before they forgot the old ways."

The tigress' tone was matter of fact as she spoke, and she approached the Warden, already going through the motions even without a response from Yara. In her mind, the other woman had already agreed by proposing the plan in the first place. She walked closer, slowly so as not to set Yara on edge any more than she already was.

"It's fairly quick and effortless. There's very little pain - just a small sting," Chala's features were an unreadable calm as she reached for Yara's hand, grasping her palm gently and extending her forefinger before bringing it up to her face. "If you'll permit me," she murmured, questioning, and didn't proceed again until Yara had given her extremely hesitant permission.

It didn't take much effort to break the wardeness' soft skin - a quick bite did the trick and Chala's fangs were precise enough that the wound was small and almost painless. A single bead of blood formed at the tip as the tigress did the same to her own finger, and golden brown met pale white as the two were pressed together, blood mingling and pact forming. A tingle ran down Chala's spine as she spoke her role in their agreement, and she implored Yara to do the same pertaining her own part to solidify the old magic at work.

The young hewan stepped away from her new ward once they finished. The confusion on her human companion's face did not escape her sharp eyes.

"We are now bound to one another by honor as well as magic. Should one break it," she paused, looking Yara in the eye, "the other will know." The soft rattling of the chain attached to her collar brought her attention back to it, and her nose scrunched up in annoyance at the reminder. "Given such, must I remain on this chain leash? It's rather annoying. If I'm completely honest, it is also fairly useless. I could tear it off myself if I were fully recovered," she grumbled with a small frown. ⑄