The moon shone above, it's silver shaft of light beaming down on the earth and onto Corvinus Castle. Lucian tilted his face up, relishing the gentle light that drifted down from above. The full moon was near, he could feel it in his bones and despite the cruelty and the pain that always accompanied it, the wolf in him couldn't help but wait to relish in it's gentle light. His neck muscles twinged and shuddered slightly causing him to place his hand on the moon shackle. It's silver barbs were buried deep, preventing the change that tugged at every fiber of his being. His heartbeat had increased, his eyes shone black and azure and he felt too large for his skin. The call of change was upon him desperately working beneath his flesh in response to the glowing song of the moon, but it would not come to pass. The silver poison worked through his blood stream preventing it, much to Lucian's relief. The animal in him was strong, wild, ruthless, savage and uncivilized. Such a vile thing should not exist. Lucian found himself thinking Not in the presence of our most wonderful Lords, soiling the earth upon which they walk. Tearing his eyes from the sky and banishing the yearning that grew in the pit of his belly to spread through his every limb, he glanced at Marcus, the mighty Elder sitting upon his steed, before his eyes rested on the floor.

"Where is Viktor's forsaken daughter?" the Elder demanded the barely restrained fury evident in his voice. "She has just returned from the hunt." The Elder's piercing eyes narrowed " With the death dealers?" he pressed. "Yes my Lord." Lucian replied.

"Stupid, insolent girl! I have neither the temperament nor the will to chase after children!" Marcus grumbled. Sonja, Viktor's daughter was quite infamous throughout the castle. Her hardheadedness and constant disregard for the covenant rules had earned her the reputation of a troublemaker and a maverick, two qualities that did not sit well with any of the council members or the Elders for that matter. Despite these blemishes on her reputation, her continuous show of valiance and resourcefulness in battle, as well as her rank given by her pureblood birth to an Elder had earned her a seat in council and respect from her peers. Amongst the lycan slaves, she was nothing more then another haughty vampiress that came in, barked her orders and left. Her eyes looked upon them as if she were a goddess looking down on lesser beings. And she is. Lucian thought, remembering the waterfall of black hair that fell down her shoulders and her black clever eyes that seemed to draw the world in. Her lips of such a deep red that it seemed -

"Slave!" Lucian blinked his eyes, snapping himself out of the trance. "Forgive me my Lord. I beg your pardon, my Lord." Marcus' eyes were fixed on him "Remember in whose presence you find yourself. " Looking away from Lucian "Go find me that girl, slave, and be quick about it."

"My Lord." Lucian uttered with a semi-bow.

When Lucian finally found her, she was in the heat of a training session, a heavy broadsword clutched in her left hand, a much smaller curved dagger in the other. The sword, he knew at a quick glance, would have been much too heavy for a mortal man to wield with one hand. Her skill, heightened by the blessing of preternatural strength, allowed her to maneuver it with a grace. She bobbed and weaved, ducking swings, blocking thrusts and reposting. The slim dagger catching the opposing vampire, quickly and surely whenever the broadsword could not. The vampire was sorely outmatched and though his brow was furrowed in concentration, acknowledgement was present in his eyes. It was quite obvious that he was no longer trying to win but rather, simply to keep up. Lucian watched them in fascination, his eyes following their every move. As a slave, he'd never been allowed to handle weapons, his duties as a guardian during the day time hours where expected to be completed with the brute force granted him by immortality. That alone was believed to be enough, a conviction that had been proven correct the few times that any mortal had the gall to invade Corvinus Castle. But now, as he watched his vampire lords locked in the deadly weapons' dance, he envied them that grace. Not for the first time in his 255 years of living, he felt a need to hold a weapon and to fight like them…to be perfect like them.

Unable to unlock his eyes from the scene that unfolded before him, Lucian weaved his way through the small crowd of onlookers careful not to invoke the ire of his betters by brushing upon them. Lady Sonja had cornered him and in a flurry of motion after elegant motion her opponent's sword was sent up into the air, his legs swept from under him even as her slim dagger was brought steadily to his neck. In a fluid movement he could be dead. "Once again, Krevlar, your eyes wander when they should be steady. Were you thinking of my blade or your own?" The crowed was peppered with chuckles. "With all due respect, my lady, I was not-" Lady Sonja laughed, it's refined lilt snapping Lucian's attention to her. She is the very embodiment of grace. "Please, do not insult my intelligence or demean your own skill. Your distraction is your flaw. Perhaps, if your eyes did not wander your sword would have remained unbowed. " Her jab did not go un-noticed blending the chuckles with snickers. "My apologies, my lady."

Lucian chose that moment to deliver his message, still transfixed by the vampires his eyes fluttered over her, as he waited silently to be addressed first. He was a fool not to look down he knew, but his eyes would not move from her, whether it was the full moon or simply madness he did not know. His eyes stayed fixed as he waited. Her long midnight hair was up in a high ponytail that fell over the silver of her death dealer armor to the middle of her back. Her blood red lips were drawn upward in a slightly smug yet amused smile. Her normally dark brown eyes were glowing crystal blue as they met his. Goddess. Lucian opened his mouth, wanting to speak but knowing that he shouldn't. "Dog! You would dare to look upon your betters?" A voice snapped from beside him. The voice was distant; too distant for Lucian's befuddled mind to grasp but when a whistling sound filled the air Lucian's consciousness was pulled away from those clear pools of blue. His body, supercharged with unfulfilled potential under the moon reacted of it's own accord. His hand shot out and plucked the silver coated whip from the air before it could lash through his flesh, his arm sizzled. A hush fell upon the lycan slaves who stopped whatever task was at hand to gawk at the scene. The small crowd of death dealers began to approach their intentions clearly deadly. Sonja raised her hand, stopping them in their tracks.

Lucian was uncertain of what to do. She stared at him briefly; Lucian fought to keep his eyes on the floor; he could not. Some vaguely indignant emotion kept them locked on Krevlar whose gaunt, pasty face had grown taut with anger. "You would dare look upon your betters?" Lady Sonja's voice questioned calmly, at the sound of her voice his eyes finally fell, "Forgive my boldness my Lady-" Lucian responded quietly "And you would defy them by their refusing punishment?" She interrupted still very calm "Forgive me my lady. I meant neither disrespect nor defiance. I was merely reacting-" Even as he said it, Lucian was unsure of the truth of his reply. Did he truly mean neither disrespect nor defiance?

"Uncontrolled reaction. It is precisely that, which makes your kind the animals that they are." Lucian felt himself bristle slightly yet said nothing. His eyes flicked upwards and caught hers, expecting to see anger and condescension. Instead he met eyes that spoke of no such emotions; in their stead there was … what? He was uncertain, but it was nothing he had been expecting from a vampire, never mind one of so high a class. The words clawed at his throat yet he managed "Yes my Lady, Forgive me." He felt her watching him intently for a little while longer before "What is your business here?"

"Lord Marcus wishes to see my lady immediately. His excellence sent me to seek my lady out." She nodded and looked away "Very well, that will be all. You may go." Nodding, Lucian turned to leave. What? No punishment? No lashings for my transgression? As if reading his mind Krevlar spat out "Lady, you would let him go with no punishment he has dared-"

"He did naught but look."

"But my-"

"Krevlar, but only awhile ago your eyes pawed at this very body much more audaciously. This one dared only to risk an empty look."

"But madame he is a Lycan."

"Indeed Krevlar, and you are a vampire. Trained and educated unlike this animal. You should know better. If I were to punish you both for your crimes, who do you think would suffer more? The uncomprehending pet who looked upon his master or the slaveholder who dared leer at a princess?"

The silence that reigned in the compound stretched thin as every one watched. Lucian was dumbfounded by her display. Why is she defending me? I am nothing but an animal.

"My Lady." Krevlar's voice was strangled, with an incline of her head Sonja turned to leave, however Lucian noticed her eyes whisper to him first before her back was fully turned. She left. Lucian glanced at Krevlar whose eyes were burning with such hate that Lucian knew he had made an eternal enemy; a dangerous thing to have as a Lycan, especially when that enemy was in charge of slave affairs.

Sonja walked silently into the large throne room where Marcus sat godlike on the grand stone throne. Though her body went through the motions of greeting the elder her mind replayed the peculiar scene that had unfolded earlier in the compound. In truth the Lycan had overstepped his bounds, his grit-covered body had been much too close to her with his eyes boring far to deeply into hers. She had been surprised initially, even slightly vexed however she had been impressed by his boldness. She was impressed even further by his dauntless refusal of the whip. No lycan she had ever led eyes upon had ever defied a vampire overseer, never mind Krevlar who was known as one of the most merciless with the animals. He said it had been reaction and while she did believe that to be true, she didn't believe it was the whole truth; he would have been quite capable of controlling his reaction if he had wanted. Just as he had controlled his reaction when she referred to his kind as animals, yes, she had seen his stifled irritation with the comment. Had seen it in the brief instant he had dared, again, to gaze upon her. I should probably keep an eye on that one, we might have a fissure fracturing beneath our very feet. So why then did she protect him, she wondered. Just because she was impressed, surely that was a ridiculous reason to indulge an animal; especially knowing that without warning they could turn on you and bite of your hand.

"Lady Sonya. A pleasure to see you finally returned, did you have fun during your long absence?" Marcus' voice was flat and dripping with sarcasm. Sonja had been expecting him to be ill humored; she had after all defied his orders to stay within Castle grounds for the next few days. Her father's awakening ceremony was to be held within the week, as his only living relative duty demanded that she oversee the works to be done by the lower ranked vampires. Unfortunately, this also meant that she needed a new ceremonial gown and therefore had to be present for the seamstress' every beck and call. "The preparations are soon to be completed sir, all will be ready-"

"What of your gown, Sonya?" Sonja looked down and despite herself there was slight agitation in her voice "I fail to see the flaws in my last one. Surely a new gown is a trifle compared to the possible invasion of an enraged pack of rabid werewolves." Marcus leaned forward in his chair, his cold gaze burning into her. Sonja found herself wondering how some believed her father more intimidating then Marcus. Marcus was vindictive and calculating; from his very eyes seemed to leak frigidity. Her father was not. Placing his elbows on the arm rests he tented his fingers in front of his face "You are a brave warrior Sonja but your single mindedness tires me. You are not a death dealer, why your father has chosen to indulge your silly fancies is beyond me. You are to be a lady of the court. Not a warrior but a princess. As such, I expect that your duties as a princess take precedence over all other whims…Preparations, including your gowns, are to be completed within a night. You will not leave this castle until they are completed. I do not care if hords of werewolves are slavering on my very chamber doors… Are we clear, Lady?" He emphasized the last word hoping it would sink in. Sonja knew there was no way out of this one; still she faltered. All these fancy preparations were not important if they were all dead. Marcus, however, was clearly on his last thread of tolerance. "Sonja, this last week before my 200 years of slumber will be an easy one…" He stated in a tone that brooked no objection. " The faster you complete your tasks, the faster you can go back to playing catch the beast with your death dealer friends and the faster I can enjoy 2 centuries of rest." Sonja smiled at his exasperation. "As you wish, my lord." Nodding Marcus sat back in the Throne, gesturing one of his favorite concubines over, a sultry fair-haired vampire by the name of Evza. She sat on the stairs by his feet. Sonja's retreating footsteps echoed in the massive granite room and as she forced the heavy doors shut a deep howl called out to the moon. She rested her head on the doors and listened. The werewolves continued, many others joining in the macabre melody. Sonja wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry: their songs were sometimes eerie, other times frightening but most importantly they were always free.