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Sionnach (closed)

"... I'll tell Kell," Sam murmured, knowing the Lord Protector and Spymaster was their best hope to secure this enslaved Wolf. "Then I'll see what's in the kitchen fer you," he added, kissing her before hurrying out to find Kell.
 
Fiona watched as he went, letting out a long sigh as exhaustion swept over her. She knew she was in danger. Her father was also in danger. The least they could do was watch over their shoulder a little more, making sure that they weren't being followed and in any danger. It was a miserable existence, but one she would willingly do if it meant being with Sam.

When Fiona was comfortable again, she settled in a chair and relaxed. Before Sam had the chance to return from his task, her Da had found her, a look of concern on his features after he had been told what happened.

"There's something I need to tell you, Da." Fiona said softly as she looked over at Owen. "I'm pregnant. They don't know if the baby will survive, but Sam and I have decided to see what might happen."
 
Owen paused in the doorway at that sudden news, and Fiona saw a similar expression on his face to the few people who knew. He wasn't sure whether he should be happy for her, or incredibly worried. "Little kit..." He murmured, sweeping into the room to hug her close, mindful of her broken ribs. "The problems just keep piling up for you two," he sighed.
 
"This isn't a problem, Da." Fiona said as he hugged her so tightly. "I don't see it that way and neither does Sam. It's unfortunate timing, but never will it be a problem."

She nuzzled against him, letting herself be weak for a moment as he held her. "I wish I could say that things are looking alright and that we'll have a kit in nine months, but I don't think we will. It's sad and disappointing, but I'm fine."
 
"Are you, though?" Owen knelt at her side and lifted a hand to her cheek. "No one is ever fine knowing they may lose a child, even one they haven't met yet."
 
"I have to be." Fiona said softly as Owen asked her if she were really alright. "For myself and for Sam."
 
"There's a big difference between being strong and being okay, my love. No one expects you to take all of this and still be fine. You won't be, regardless of the outcome. You're already barely standing. But that's okay. That's what the rest of us are here for, to help when you aren't okay." He took her hands, and then said softly, "... I wonder if it'll be a Fox or Human."
 
"I would love it no matter what it turns out to be." Fiona said softly as her father mused on whether the child would be fox or human. "And I would make sure that it went through every tribal ritual that I could."

"Da, we're all we have left in this family. I mean, Uka and Mormor count as well, but it's just you and I." Fiona gripped his hands tightly in her own. "And I so desperately want things to work out, but I know if they don't, I'll always have you. Things might have been bad when I was young, but they aren't anymore."
 
Owen gave her a gentle smile. "There's plenty of hope, love, no matter what happens... And I just want to say, I would love a grandchild, Fox or Human. I'm not concerned with who carries our name anymore, as long as they carry it well."
 
Fiona gave her father a small smile as she wrapped him up in a hug and held him tightly, seeking comfort in that moment. She knew that he would never hold anything against a child any longer and she only hoped that he got the chance to spoil one rotten.
 
Sam and Fiona remained in Edinburgh a few days more before Sam went to the border, giving Fiona free reign but telling her to keep out of battle. It was only a day after Sam left Edinburgh that another Rider arrived at the city, only landing briefly to drop off a passenger directly to Kell's agents before heading south again. Fiona was informed of the arrival of another Caller, the Wolf named Charles by Barbarossa and Zaufberg.

Kate was the first to see the Wolf up close as he was escorted into the castle and handed over to the infirmary immediately, a tribal human healer coming to stitch a bandaged gash in the side of the Wolf's head under his ear and bind a broken hand. Charles was a rail-thin fellow, similarly patterned to a red timber wolf, his fur littered with an unfamiliar style of tattoos that were somewhat like a jagged version of the swirling and sharp Lunar style, with some banding like Erygonian styles. His ears had tiny rings and studs here and there, and his eyes were mismatched swirls of blue and electric yellow. He seemed young, but incredibly tired as he sat, slumped forward as the healers saw to him.
 
Kate stood close by as the wolf was tended to, calling for a hearty meal to be brought to him. She had been told by her brother and Kell that he had been found and brought into their ranks, but she didn't know that he might appear so soon after that announcement.

When the healers were mostly done, Kate approached him and took a seat across from the weary wolf. "What languages do you speak?" She asked him in English and then in Erygonian, wanting to know what she was working with when trying to communicate with her.
 
The Wolf glanced up slowly, seeming to understand as she spoke Erygonian. His answer came somewhat fluently in Erygonian, but his accent was worlds away, his speech deeper in his chest with more of a gutteral sound. "I understand Teo," he assured her softly, naming the specific dialect she knew. The other was Kalma, more common in northeastern Europe and Asia. He bowed his head to her, his ears slightly laid back. "I am Charles, of Vienna."
 
"That is what they named you. What is your real name?" Kate asked him softly, knowing that he was in a tricky situation and wanting him to feel at ease with her.
 
The Wolf looked up at her slowly, his head still bowed. "... I... No, milady, it is Charles." He seemed scared to speak his real name, and he simply cast his gaze back to the floor, as if awaiting orders as he was trained to do.
 
"Let me make this clear to you, Charles. You are not a slave here." Kate said softly, knowing that he was nervous and scared. "I will not order you. Others will not order you. You are free to do as you wish. For your safety, I do ask that you stay here in the confines of the castle until we know what Barbarossa might do in retaliation, but you are not beholden to me or anyone else here."
 
The Wolf glanced up once more, still quiet in the presence of humans, until the door opened and Qira came to join Kate's side. Normally he was guarding Brogan, but Kell had sent Lyra so that he could have Qira around in case anyone followed those who captured Charles.

Seeing the mountainous Panther in his dark outfit armed with blades and freely walking around, the Wolf seemed confused. Charles himself still wore a metal collar, having refused to let anyone remove it for fear of retribution or being taken by Hunters. But now, he saw Qira didn't wear any mark of ownership.

"Brother," Qira murmured in Erygonian, having heard Kate speaking and coaxing the Wolf as he stepped in. "Tuari?"

"Of the Zhahad Dur," Charles answered softly.

"He is from a different nation," Qira explained to Kate, looking over the Wolf's tattoos. "Tuari are plains and forest folk from East Central Europe. In the heart of the Empire. They are the most widely traded slaves."
 
"Well, you'll never be a slave here." Kate answered matter of factly, looking up at Qira. "If you wish to remove everything that makes you a slave, you'll never fear any repercussions from myself or anyone else within the walls of this castle. In fact, I would suggest you think about it before you meet Fiona Blackstone. It was her idea to bring you here and her husband put it all into motion."
 
The Wolf glanced down for a long moment at his travel-worn clothes and touched the edge of his collar. "... Thaladda Zhoudih. That is the name my mother gave me," he admitted softly. "But most call me Tala."

"Welcome to your freedom, Tala," Qira spoke softly, a phrase Kate had heard many werefolk share with freed slaves. Qira reached into a pouch on his bandolier, withdrawing lockpicks and stepping up beside the red Wolf to unlock the collar. When the lock clicked open, Tala slowly drew the metal away to reveal a ring of raw skin where fur hadn't been able to grow for probably years. But if other former slaves were anything to go by, it would grow back soon. The healers set to carefully cleaning up the raw area, wrapping bandages around his neck to protect it from infection. Tears began to stream from Tala's eyes as he stared down at the open collar, and he silently, almost peacefully wept at the realization that he really was free.
 
"You will never go back, Tala. As a caller, you will have protection to make sure that promise is kept. You will never have to set foot back in Barbarossa's land unless you wish to." Kate said, reaching out to touch his hand gently. "And at the end of all of this, if you wish to stay here in Edinburgh, we will make sure that you have a home and income."
 
"Thank you," he whispered, his voice wavering. "Thank you so much... You're all angels here... Guardian angels."

"No, brother. No one here is an angel. Just people who know you and I are people as well," Qira assured him, and paused as Tala reached up to hug him. Tala looked absolutely tiny in comparison with his bony, malnourished frame. Qira was entirely caught off-guard, being someone people normally feared or skirted around, but he wrapped an arm around the Wolf to comfort him. "Welcome home."
 
“Let’s get you a good meal and a secure room. Then we’ll see if Fiona is available to meet with you.” Kate said softly as Tala seemed overjoyed that he had been freed after so long in captivity.
 
Qira followed along with them, guiding the Wolf who felt so out of place and overwhelmed. He looked older than his years thanks to stress and time spent as a slave, but he was likely somewhere between Kate and Fiona in age. But that didn't stop him from feeling like a nervous child as he was led to a free guest room and Qira showed him where everything was. By this time, Fiona had already been told of the Wolf's arrival in the hands of Kell's agents who'd secured him.
 
After Tala had been settled and given time to gather himself, Fiona appeared, escorted by Qira. She was dressed in a simple gown, no armor save her chest plate. It was the one piece of armor that Sam insisted that she keep on her at all times, and she agreed. Fiona quietly stood there for a long moment before she moved into the room and looked back at Qira, giving him a nod as he closed the door behind her.

"I'm glad that they found you." Fiona said softly in rough Erygonian, the little amount that Sam had taught her coming to mind as she reached out to the other caller.
 
Gazing out a window, the red Wolf turned and met Fiona's gaze for a long moment. He saw her cub-blue eyes and gave her a small.smile. "It's... Amazing to be here, sister. We only hear stories, legends almost, of freedom in the north."
 
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