"Sweetheart!"
It felt like heaven being in his master's arms again. The head pats were the best, and the quiet coos of praise made his heart soar.
When they finally separated Marquise was all smiles.
"You look like you've been very well. Ah, Kova has been working on something for you all night. It's just a prototype, but it might help!"
Marquise watched as his master excitedly took the item from Kova, then presented it to him right as Vrasje walked into the room. He'd been keeping track of his servants as they set up a large lunch for them and said that he'd be a few minutes late.
"Ah, the brace. You are truly gifted with your hands, lord Kova," Vrasje said as he walked over and gently took the item from Marquise with curiosity.
"Let's eat first, then perhaps we can see if Pepper would like to try it on?"
Ah, that makes sense. It did look a bit too large for my leg.
He was a little upset at first, since he wasn't too sure about Pepper yet, but then used the calm Garlic was still wrapping him in and just silently sighed the stress away before it could build.
"That sounds good," he said before following Vrasje into the dining hall with his master and Kova chatting with him happily at his side.
Oh wow.
"Are others joining us?" he asked, confused about the insane amount of food present.
Vrasje shook his head as he grabbed a plate.
"It's buffet style. Take what you want. My servants will be allowed whatever is leftover," he said, making Marquise relieved that the food wouldn't go to waste.
He eagerly filled his plate, then sat down at the small table that had been prepared with goblets of blood, water, and wine. His master took the seat to his left while Vrasje settled to his right, with Kova directly across from him.
Neither of the vampires had much on their plates, but they gladly partook in the wine and blood as conversation started up. They spoke about all sorts of things, starting, of course, with the weather, but then quickly changing topics to the device that Kova had made for Pepper, and how to fit it correctly onto the large wolf. They then switched directions again and, to his surprise, asked him if he wanted to begin attending some of the upcoming social events.
Searching for an heir of his own was mentioned, but Marquise quickly dismissed that route. He was still struggling to maintain himself. He didn't need to bring another person into his world. He eventually agreed to go to a few get-togethers, but nothing specifically to meet possible heirs.
The discussion eventually returned to current events, and as time went on Marquise zoned out here and there as he poked at Garlic inside his mind. He was trying to nudge the pup back into its own body within his, but he just couldn't figure out how to detach him.
He wasn't really upset with the situation, but it made him feel kind of... awkward. Differently awkward. He wasn't used to having a wolf influencing him. Even back when he had Pepper as his main wolf, he still subdued it enough to keep it from affecting his decisions.
Are you okay, love?
Marquise snapped out of his thoughts and looked up, then relaxed when he noticed that Taru and Kova were still deep in conversation. That left him to turn his attention to a clearly-worried Vrasje.
The response he wanted to give was an obvious yes, but he really wasn't sure.
I'm not sure, but it's nothing bad, he eventually said, making Vrasje's expression calm a little.
Alright. Just let me know if you need anything.
Marquise nodded as he picked up a glass of water and began to nurse it, trying to relax.
"Hey Marquise, would you like to see if we can get Pepper fitted with the brace Kova made?" his master asked with a smile.
Marquise fidgeted a little as he looked around.
There are no humans. I dismissed them for a few hours. They will report back later, Vrasje thought to him, making Marquise calm down.
"Sure, let me see if I can get him to come out," he said as he stood up and tugged off his shirt and pants, then sat back down and leaned back in his chair before closing his eyes.
He'd never intentionally tried to contact the wolf after it had been unsealed, so it took him a bit to find the big guy. It was way in the back of his mind, licking at his its good paw.
Pepper?
The wolf slowly lifted its head, then turned its blurry face toward him.
Why have you sought me out? I can do nothing more for you.
Marquise felt his heart squeeze in his chest as he settled a short distance away.
I'm here to do something for you. Our master has brought you something that you might like. I came to get you for him.
His wolf was, unsurprisingly, distrusting. It gave a warning grumble before lying its head down on its good paw as its figure began to fade further.
Wait, please! I know that apologizing isn't going to mean anything to you now, and I totally understand that, but I am truly sorry that I've put you through so many terrible things. I'll understand if you can never forgive me, but our master is very sweet and has been eager to meet you. Could you not spare him just a moment?
The wolf flicked an ear as its form solidified slightly, making Marquise lean forward a little with hope.
He is a very nice vampire. He loves our other half and as soon as he knew that you had a bad paw, he had his friend make you a brace so that you could walk normally again.
He waited for a response, but when he got nothing, he smiled softly and tried again.
Vrasje is here, too. Just in case anyone tries to bother you. He also said that you may eat whenever you are hungry. He will always have food for you. There is even food available for you right this moment.
That seemed to get the wolf's attention a little better.
I'm sure they would be more than happy if you ate your fill.
Finally, his wolf slowly rose to its feet.
Be gone, it rasped before Marquise felt his consciousness abruptly pulled away.
"There's my beautiful wolf," Vrasje said as he settled a large plate of pork, beef, and mixed greens in front of Pepper.
The massive pup slid from the chair with as much grace as a drunk octopus, but it didn't matter. His heart was already full just watching the wolf settle down to eat.
Once he was sure that Pepper was okay with Taru and Kova, he sat back in his chair and looked over at the other two. Both had looks of utter disbelief on their faces, but that wasn't too surprising.
"He's a big boy, but he's super sweet," he said, bending the truth a tiny bit.
"He just needs to be kept away from humans."
Taru nodded as he slowly got up from his seat and walked a little closer. He was being careful, and was clearly a bit nervous, but Vrasje could also see the excitement in his eyes, too.
"I have such an amazing heir," he eventually whispered as he sat down a few feet away from the munching wolf.
Kova was not nearly as adventurous, but he did turn his chair toward Pepper and scoot to the side so that he could see better, even though his face looked much more pale than normal. After a long while, however, the man's attention began to drift toward the wolf's mangled right paw.
"I think I got the measurements pretty close. It's adjustable, so if he's comfortable, we can test it out, then change what needs to be fixed," he said, returning to his normal assured self.
Vrasje nodded, then waited until Pepper had finished his entire plate, even including the greens, before settling down beside him with the device in his hands.
"Hey there, sweet one. I asked your master's friend to make something for you. It might help you walk better. Would you like to try it on?"
His pup looked between the three of them before returning his attention to Vrasje and tilting his head slightly.
"Why?" it finally asked, breaking Vrasje's heart right in two.
"Because you deserve to be able to walk without pain. You're going to be spoiled now that I'm here. You're going to be fed until you're fat, and you're going to have a bed to sleep on and all the mud you could ever want to roll in," Vrasje said with so much enthusiasm that Pepper actually seemed to scoff out a faint laugh as his damaged lips turned upward into what could have been perceived as a slight smirk.
Instead of responding to him verbally, Pepper slowly turned his attention back to his so-called master.
"What is your name, vampire?"
Taru quickly gave the large wolf a warm smile and replied, "my name is Taru. It's nice to finally meet you."
The giant wolf nodded slowly, then looked down toward its damaged paw.
"May I try to put the brace on for you, hun? Kova taught me how to do it so it shouldn't take but a few moments," Taru said, earning Pepper's attention again before it redirected to Vrasje.
"He's trustworthy, and I'm right here if anything happens. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you ever again," Vrasje said, making the pup slowly look back down at its damaged paw, then gently lower its pinpoint straight ears to a more relaxed position before, finally, settling its head down on the floor.
Taru was eager but careful as he scooted closer, then reached over to gently settle a few fingers on the wolf's damaged paw where a tiny bit of fur still grew.
"So cool..." he whispered as he moved the brace closer, but then set it on the ground a few inches from the wolf's nose.
It was no surprise to them when Pepper lifted his head back up to sniff at the device, but when he realized that it was simply leather and a few metal buckles, along with a metal plate and some wooden pieces, he settled again.
"Alright, let me know if it hurts at all. I'll try to be as gentle as I can," Taru said as he finally closed the remaining distance between them and began working.
Vrasje stayed close by and even settled a hand against the big pup's back, but didn't do anything else to distract from the situation. He understood that it was sometimes a good idea for humans to be distracted during stressful situations, but distracting a wolf, then unintentionally hurting it, could be disastrous. Especially with one as big as Pepper.
Thankfully, with Kova's helpful guidance the device was quite easy to secure around the pup's damaged leg, and pretty soon Taru was scooting away, then standing up with an excited smile on his face.
Vrasje moved to the pup's front side, acting as support as Pepper shakily got to his feet. It was clear that he wasn't sure about the brace yet, but he didn't hesitate to try it out. The first few moments were okay, but as soon as he tried to walk with it his face contorted in pain and Vrasje and Taru quickly moved in to help adjust the straps as Kova even came over and held the beast's weight off of it so that they could work easier.
Kova backed away first once they were done, then Taru stepped back and Vrasje let go.
"Try again, love."
Pepper looked up at him nervously, but he did as told. When he didn't whimper this time, Vrasje grinned and began following along as the wolf worked on using the device to balance.
"You're already a natural at this. Is it okay so far? Do you need more padding or anything else adjusted?" he asked right before Pepper did a little hopping bound forward, running a few steps with the most beautiful gate he'd ever seen on any animal.
The wolf gave out a little excited, gruff yip, then turned and ran back toward him. Vrasje knelt down just in time to hug the big fuzzball as it ran into his arms. It was growling quietly, but he considered it more of a purr that a cat might make since his pup seemed like it had a bit more healing to do when it came to its throat. Either way...
"You are so amazing!" he said as he hugged his big baby happily.
Pepper pressed his head against Vrasje's chest, earning an ear scratch for his efforts.
"I did not think that he would ever care for me in such a way," Pepper rasped.
Vrasje held his big pup as it practically fell into his lap, then began rubbing its thick fur soothingly.
"He knows that what he did to you was not okay. He is now worried that you might attack humans if you see them, but he still wanted to let you come out today and eat, then get your brace fitted," Vrasje said quietly.
"Humans..."
They both looked up as Taru made his presence known at that moment, then sat down beside them. To his surprise, and slight jealousy, Pepper immediately got up and resituated himself in Taru's lap... even though he didn't really fit.
His heir was over the moon as he hugged the pup to him and even got a lick!
You never gave me a lick before...
Pepper turned and pressed his head against Taru's chest to stare at him.
You haven't earned it yet.
Vrasje's face fell into dismay at the same time Pepper's wolf gave a quiet scoffing laugh.
Heartless!
Vrasje turned to face away, trying to keep his frustration from his heir who was doting on his mate. Pressing fingers to his furrowed brow, Vrasje closed his eyes and pursed his lips to keep from baring his fangs.
I'm not being fare. He's not just mine.
Forcing himself to calm down, Vrasje counted all the way to seventy-seven before he felt something abruptly yank on his hair! Flailing backwards, he fell to his back just in time for the culprit to lie down right on top of him! To add insult to injury, Pepper still had a thick length of his long hair between his teeth as he settled his head on his chest and huffed a breath right into his face.
"You are a brat," Vrasje stated resolutely.
His words earned a curious head tilt from Pepper, then a tap to his forehead with a massive paw.
Vrasje grabbed that paw and slowly lowered it back to his chest before meeting the pup's eyes.
"Pepper, would you really attack humans if you saw them again? They aren't all bad. They definitely aren't all good, either, but I have several servants here who would be happy to help take care of you, but I don't want to put them in harm's way..."
The giant wolf gave a quiet grumble before climbing off of him. Vrasje quickly sat back up, but before he could figure out what the pup was going to do it circled back around and grabbed another length of his hair to tug on.
He wasn't too happy with the wolf's silence, but at least it hadn't outright said that it would attack any humans it saw. He would take it as a positive for now.
"Hey Kova? Is the brace washable? Can it get wet?" he asked as he noticed the rain outside the large windows coming down harder.
Kova nodded as he sipped a glass of blood back at the table.
"It can get wet as long as it's cleaned and dried in a reasonable amount of time. I can also replace anything on it that gets damaged."
Vrasje grinned and looked at the pup still gently tugging at his long hair.
"Hey there, my stubborn love. Would you like to go find some mud to roll in? It looks like there's going to be plenty of nice spots to choose from..."
Pepper's ears went up and he immediately dropped the length of hair he'd been pulling, allowing Vrasje to stand up. The pup was hot on his heels the moment he began walking toward the back double doors. The clicking of the brace as the steadying plate hit the floor told him of his approach like a parade drum announcing royalty. He couldn't help but laugh out loud as the wolf went flying by him a moment later, then slid to a stop at the door with a whine.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Vrasje said as he tugged off his nice shirt as he walked.
To his surprise, Taru was at his side a moment later without his own fancy shirt and jacket. Kova was even following, but instead of taking off clothing, he'd picked up Taru's and folded them neatly in his arms, then opened an umbrella he had brought with him.
The moment that door was opened Pepper bolted out into the backyard, completely ignoring the heavy rain. Vrasje watched as he eagerly splashed through puddles, though his movements were still quite stiff. He was making the absolute best of what he now had.
For a pup who has been locked away for so long, and with such a severe injury, he sure is running around like a puppy.
Before he could think about joining him, Vrasje noticed something blur past him.
Taru?!
His heir excitedly slid into a large puddle, splashing the already-soaking wet werewolf romping around nearby. The splash got Pepper's attention right away, and pretty soon they were actually play-wrestling together!
"I don't think I could be any prouder than I am right now," he said to himself as he sensed Kova walk up beside him.
The man was silent, at first, but then he gave a quiet sigh and turned to look at him from beneath his umbrella.
"I can't say that I'll ever get used to having wolves around, but since this pup belongs to Taru, I can't find myself able to see it in anything but a positive light."
Vrasje straightened his shoulders and grinned at the man beside him.
"I never thought I would get used to them, either. Honestly, I'm probably not going to do to well with other wolves, but Marra is an absolute sweetheart, and both of his wolves are well mannered... if a bit grumpy sometimes."
Kova nodded as they both returned to watching the show. Poor Taru was completely covered in mud, and Pepper wasn't making things easy on him, either. The wolf had spread itself out over its master, holding the vampire down even though Taru could have easily moved him.
When his heir noticed them watching, he grinned excitedly right before Pepper licked all the way from his chin to his forehead!
"I better go save my poor heir," Vrasje eventually said as he walked forward.
He thought that he'd solve the situation simply by nudging the wolf off of Taru, but it turns out that Pepper could get quite possessive of his playthings, and unfortunately for Taru, he was said plaything at the moment.
That led to quite the wrestling match between Vrasje and what should have been a feeble, emaciated wolf!
How are you so strong already?!
They messed around in the mud for so long that Taru and Kova ended up being called away for other matters, then the rainstorm slowed to a stop.
Utterly exhausted and completely soaked through with mud, Vrasje lay staring up at the gloomy sky with Pepper contently settled atop his chest. It was panting hard, too, and looked to be able to lean forward and probably grab at more of his hair, but before the wolf could complete its intended action, it's form wavered and faded away.
Vrasje immediately sat up and tugged Marquise into his arms for a tight hug. It took the man a few minutes to come around, but when he did, his expression was absolutely priceless.
"Pepper... was playing in the mud?" he finally asked as he looked around at the muddy landscape, then down, at his own excessively dirty self.
Vrasje simply slipped the brace from his arm and fastened it to his belt with a clip, then stood up with his love in his arms.
"Yep! We had a good time. Would you like to reenact it?" he asked excitedly, no longer feeling the least bit tired!
Marquise looked like he was about to roll his eye when a gloop of mud fell toward it, forcing him to shut it.
"Let's just go wash up, I think I have mud in places I never should..." he mumbled, making Vrasje chuckle as he pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"Alright. A nice hot bath, then, perhaps, a nap with your favorite vampire?" he said as he began walking back toward the house, carrying his love with a content smile on his face.
Marquise wiped away the mud from his eye before settling with his arms wrapped around the man's neck.
"But master Taru has already gone home for the day," he eventually replied, making Vrasje pause at the back doors and scowl.
Heartless!