Marcus/Esca slash. This story involves Cub, a character from the Eagle who you won't know unless you've read the books, because he wasn't in the movie. He is a wolf that Esca found as a pup and gave to Marcus, and they raised as a pet. This is a little fic from his POV ;) (also, Procyon, who is Aquila's old wolfhound)

I've had this story for ages, don't know why I've never posted it here! (so you may have read it elsewhere!)

~enjoy

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Cub trotted into the room and sat down, staring at his master sitting on a bench near the fireplace. He thrust his head under Marcus' hand, but the man wasn't paying attention. He played with the wolf's ears a little, but that was all Cub was going to get at the moment. Marcus' thoughts were elsewhere and Cub whined, because it was the time of night that they usually gave him food. He was just about to ask the man again when he looked up suddenly, hearing the approaching footsteps a few moments before Marcus.

Marcus looked up when he heard them too, and stood quickly as Esca entered the room. Cub watched at they regarded each other, meeting midway across the room. Cub whined, knowing that with the two of them together his efforts for Marcus' attention would have to double at least. He thought briefly about going to ask Esca for food, but put the thought aside just as soon. His two alphas were engaging in something to which he was not invited, and he knew better. His chances for dinner were slipping away as quickly as the evening sun.

Cub's stomach grumbled and he sniffed sadly. Maybe he should belly crawl over between them and lick some faces. It wasn't very dignified for a wolf his age, but he'd seen enough dogs win scraps and attention that way. He had never had any problems being submissive to Marcus—Esca even, whom he considered Marcus' chosen second.

He'd realized from early on that there was no competing with Esca's place in the pack. The smaller human was a formidable member of their hunting group, and Cub could see how he would be valuable to Marcus for that. Cub always tried his best to hunt just as well, but Esca still seemed to have a higher favor with Marcus—for what, Cub wasn't sure; he'd never seemed to understand the slightly strange ways of human packs. But he didn't care much, and was happy that his alpha was happy.

Cub got up, resigned to beg his master to remember him, but it seemed Marcus' second had beat him to the face licking. Cub groaned in frustration and paced, trying to think of another course of action. He jumped up on Marcus' bed in the room, and lay down with a huff. He watched as his superiors grappled together, Marcus just as eager to please as Esca. That Cub didn't really understand; an alpha shouldn't have to do so much to please the whims of a beta. Then again, they could just be wrestling like pups, both having fun. It wasn't very dignified, but it wasn't unheard of. Though Cub thought it was a little rude, blatantly ignoring a poor, starving member of your pack in favor of play wrestling at mealtime.

Marcus growled and bit and Esca pawed at his clothes and Cub gave an indignant yap as they came crashing onto the bed right where he had been laying. He glared back at them as he stalked away toward the fire to lie down on the furs there instead. He watched as clothes were thrown across the room and—distracted by scents coming from the kitchens—absently hoped none of them would land on him. The scents of the kitchen were wonderful, but Cub ate only with his pack members, and they—he saw with renewed frustration—weren't planning on eating quite yet.

When Cub looked back, he thought maybe he'd missed something. They'd gone from playful games to something more aggressive, and Marcus had the smaller man pinned beneath him, completely disregarding his struggles. Cub thought Esca must have done something to displease Marcus, and it must have been something pretty grave if Marcus felt the need to stop the play and re-assert his dominance. Cub knew that Esca's struggling wasn't going to do him any good; didn't everyone know to just give in when their superior asked it? He averted his eyes as much as he could, lest his alpha's rage fall on him for some reason. Esca squirmed and whined deep in his throat, exposing his neck to Marcus's teeth as he nipped and bit along it. That was a better idea, Cub thought.

But Marcus wasn't satisfied with simply getting Esca on his back; his show of dominance wasn't over. Cub could feel the change in their energy and smell the change of hormones as Marcus scrambled behind Esca and mounted him. Cub looked up, he understood that this sometimes happened when energies were charged and there haven't been females around for a while, it was also a way to cow your subordinate into submission if they were getting out of place. Cub wasn't sure whether whatever Esca had done had warranted that, but who was he to judge the alpha? Still, he thought he might be right, because, of all that he'd learned of humans, he was pretty sure the noises they were making were happy noises.

Esca growled and Marcus murmured as they spent, and the scent of their sex filled the room, very strong in Cub's nostrils. Cub was grateful that they were finished—maybe now they would realize they were just as hungry as he was. He whined and jumped up, tail waving questioningly as he looked from them to the door leading to the kitchens and back again. And looked again. He yipped, thinking that maybe they just hadn't heard, but looking back at them he saw, unbelievably, that they were not even paying attention! They were lying quietly, piled on each other, licking at each other's faces again slowly and happily.

Cub watched in horror for a few more minutes as they fell asleep right before his eyes, their breathing evening out and humming quietly. Didn't they realize that the window for finding food in this house was quickly closing! Dinner was being cleaned up and the cooks were going to bed. Cub panicked and dashed over to the bed, shoving his nose into Marcus' face, whining like a pup. When this got no response, he huffed sadly and, deciding to break his own rule, trotted off in search of Procyon—maybe he could convince the old hound to share his dinner.

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thanks for reading! comments are love :)