The Tiger Within 120 Contracts

"These d.a.m.n Contract Curses." she growled motioning to the one on her own chest. He stared at it for a long moment and Kyera raised an eyebrow. The only thing that stopped her from slapping him was the way his eyes seemed to move. They weren't following her curves they were focused on the runes.

"Yours is particularly nasty. You have to serve a Master for a term… it won't say how long till you have one though." he replied with a frown. His eyes closed as though he was dizzy. Kyera looked astonished for a moment. She had spent months and Mally had even done her best but couldn't make heads or tails of her contract.

"Can you read them?" she asks motioning to the runes of her curse.

He nodded, still not opening his eyes.

"It hurts… alot… but i can sometimes read the terms if I try hard enough. Your Terms are blank but your conditions are there. The condition is serving a Master. The terms are decided once the condition is met." he explained taking a deep shuddering breath. The pain crept in from his wound and mind both as he tried to unravel the lines and swoops of the runes he had read. Such a jumbled mess.

"I see… so I need a Master…" Kyera thought for a moment, wondering how she could achieve that. "I can't .. thats humiliating." Kyera rejected it. The very thought of answering to one of the creatures that had the blood of those murderer's in their veins. 'How could I dare do that even if it meant getting home. Verone would… ' her thought paused as he thought of Verone's teary eyes when they had said goodbye. He wouldn't care what she did to come home as long as she came home.

"That is probably why those are your conditions. Your proud even as a Tigress it's easily seen. If you don't break, You will never leave." Lazren replied rolling onto his stomach in a attempt to stand. He pushed onto his knees with a pained grunt. Kyera reached out to steady him with one hand, her face saddened.

That sad expression turned to determination in a split second. "Then a Master I shall find. Nothing is more important than getting home." He was relieved to hear the fight in her voice. Of all the things Lazren had been through, he was fairly sure seeing the Princess break would be the worst. He smiled.

"Good. Then we will do this together." he replied with a smile.

"we?" Kyera let the question hang in the air as he nodded finally raising unsteadily to his feet. He ran his hand through his hair frowning as he found the b.l.o.o.d.y mats.

"Yea, We. Princess, whether you realize it or not you saved my life. Wolves don't like debts, especially not to a Princess and I got your hands dirty which is inexcusable in itself. You have my Loyalty, My Lady." Lazren replied with a low, humble bow. At least, as low as he could go before the pain began to be a bit overwhelming. He forced himself to go as far as he could.

"No need to bow till that wound heals. For now, I thank you." Kyera replied, honestly touched but less than surprised by his comment. Such was the way of the wolf. Loyalty to those who prove themselves worth it, and hate for those who cross them.

"Thank you." Lazren replied straightening up as a pair of footsteps behind them in the room caught his attention. He turned to see a sleepy woman in a nightgown standing nearby. Her hair was perfectly in place and her nightgown covered by a delicate robe, but still indecent for him to see her in. He spun around quickly, cheeks red.

"Kyera...wait Lazren?" Mally asked her eyes widening as he looked at the pair. He was obviously sick and Kyera looked as though she had run a marathon.

"It's okay Mally, he is with me." Kyera explained quickly setting a hand on his shoulder. When he swayed Kyera gave him a sideways glance and walked him to the table, pus.h.i.+ng him onto a chair despite feeble protests.