#tlcss2k18

@nerdishfeels i finally finished it! here is your gift. it is a kaider fic about them going on a new year’s eve date after a long state dinner. merry christmas and happy new year! enjoy :)

Cinder puffed a strand of hair out of her eyes in annoyance.

“Almost done, Your Majesty," Iko said calmly. She slid the last pin into the elaborate twist. A footman standing next to the two women held out a lacquered box with a small golden clasp. Iko flicked the latch and raised the lid. Gently she lifted the glittering tiara off of its plush, emerald green velvet cushion. “Come to mama," she murmured. The footman closed the box and dismissed himself with a nod.

Cinder straightened her spine in preparation for the headpiece. “Where'd you get this one, Cinder?" Iko asked, admiring the polished diamonds and smooth pearls.

Cinder glanced behind her reflection in the mirror. “Oh, that one was a wedding gift from Queen Camilla. She gave it to me because it's known as the Lotus Flower Tiara, and the lotus is the EC's emblem. It was made in 1923, Second Era.”

“Ooh, vintage!”

“Yeah, the metal scrollwork is admirable, considering the primitive tech and tools they had back in the day.”

“Leave it to you to get your little mechanic brain all wrapped around jewelry.” Iko placed the tiara gently on Cinder’s head, nestling it safely in the stablest parts of her hairstyle. “You look beautiful, Cinder." Iko bent to kiss her friend's cheek.

“Thanks, Iko.” The two turned in unison at a sharp rap on the mahogany door frame.

“Ready to go, gorgeous?" Kai stood effortlessly straight, a dashing figure in his expertly tailored suit. Cinder rose to meet him but he crossed the room first, catching her painted lips in a kiss. Cinder steadied her tiara with one hand and she could feel some of the stress leave her shoulders just knowing her husband would suffer through this horrible function with her. They broke apart and Iko promptly whacked Kai's arm with a makeup brush.

“Kai! Now I have to reapply her lipstick and adjust her hair. And you're already going to be late!” Iko cried.

Kai placed a gentle hand on Cinder's back, sending the same chill down her spine that it had four years ago. “Well, I'm sure the diplomats can wait an extra minute. Take your time, Iko.”

Cinder sat back down as Iko deftly rearranged pins. “Remind me again why we have to go to this dinner, Kai?" Cinder asked, trying to hide a twinge of whine in her voice.

Kai dragged a hand down his face. “It's a tradition. The leaders of Earth get together for dinner every New Year's Eve. According to official media, we talk about world events and general politics. But usually, everyone is so busy stuffing their faces that very little work gets done. Anyway, it's our turn to host this year. It was going to be in Australia, but it turned out they were in the middle of major renovations that they conveniently forgot about until a week ago. Sorry I didn't involve you more.”

“It's ok,” Cinder started. She paused as Iko approached her face with a lip brush. Once her friend-slash-stylist-slash-hair-and-makeup-artist had finished, she continued. “But afterward, I'd like to do something together. Just me and you. Ok?” She gave her lips a final swipe and stood back up again.

“Of course,” Kai said. Cinder could hear the sympathy in his voice. Kai gave a pointed look at Iko as he kissed Cinder’s cheek. The android made a small disapproving noise but said nothing. Kai bent his arm and Cinder slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. She loved the sureness she felt holding onto him like that, her anchor in a sea of anxieties and mistakes waiting to happen. They glided down the corridors together, followed at a distance by a half-dozen security staff.

When they entered the dining room, the diplomats stood and the kitchen staff bowed their heads. It had taken Cinder months to get used to having that kind of effect when simply moving within her own home. She took a deep breath and forced herself to embody an empress, calling forth her memories of royal training.

As they were led to their seats, Kai grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “It’s going to be fine,” he whispered. Cinder nodded briefly and smoothed her blue crepe skirt. That was the other thing she hated about these functions: she and all the other women had to pretend they were comfortable in their tight, movement-obstructing, or generally unpleasant dresses. She made a mental note to consult Iko about it, and that next time she would insist on wearing a suit as well.

As soon as the first course was presented, conversation ceased and each person was focused solely on eating as much food as humanly possible. Cinder spent most of the meal rotating between chicken satay, tofu curry, steamed bok choy, and a variety of sweet buns. Kai immediately dove for his favorites: chili crab, vegetable egg rolls, inarizushi, and gulab jamun.

When the waiters began clearing plates, part of Cinder wished that the dinner had been scheduled for longer so she could have eaten more. That feeling soon faded as various representatives and politicians swarmed around her and Kai to personally wish them a happy new year. There was a sudden lull in activity, and the two young monarchs only needed to exchange one glance before they both made a beeline for the large double doors leading to the main hall. Cinder leaned against the wall, savoring the relative quiet. One of the women guarding the door glanced in Cinder’s direction but showed no reaction other than a slight inclination of her head.

“So, what did you want to do?” Kai asked.

Cinder chewed her lip and let her eyes wander around the hallway. “Um… I don’t know…” She spun a phantom wrench between her fingers as she considered their options. Kai always loved when she did that, when she was so lost in her own thoughts that the rest of reality seemed to vanish. He gazed at her, still in disbelief that he had married the girl of his dreams. He could almost see the literal mechanisms in her head turning.

Abruptly, Cinder looked straight at Kai, eyes bright. “I know! Let’s go watch the lantern lighting in the park.”

Kai looked at his watch. “Cinder, it’s already 11:30. Are you sure we can make it in time?”

“Yes, what are you waiting for? If we run we’ll have time to change clothes.” Without another word, Cinder grinned and took off down the carpeted hall as fast as her pinchy shoes and confining dress would allow. Kai smiled and ran to catch up with her.

Back in her dressing room, Cinder didn’t even stop to breathe. She rifled through her closet in search of her comfiest cargo pants and sweatshirt. She found them quickly and tossed them on the floor. Iko was no doubt at a wild party so Cinder was left to undo her formal outfit by herself. She placed her delicate tiara on her vanity table. A glance at the clock told her that there was no time for her to remove her makeup or take the pins out of her hair. With a shrug she shimmied out of her evening gown and heels, somehow managing to pull on her incognito clothes at the same time. She had to dig deeper in her closet to find her favorite boots, and she tied them sloppily to save time. She threw on her hood and emerged from her room to wait for Kai.

A moment later, his door opened and Cinder saw that he was wearing his old ratty gray hoodie. She smiled and grabbed his hand.

“Come on, we only have fifteen minutes. I want to get as close as we can to the lanterns.” Cinder pushed the door open and ran much faster than before in her well-worn shoes.

They barreled down the hallways, garnering a multitude of stares from very confused staff, but no one tried to stop them. Cinder couldn’t help but laugh as they scrambled down the stairs to the main road. She hadn’t felt this free and spontaneous since before she became Empress. She glanced at Kai, who was smiling just as wide. The two of them raced around corners and dodged several hovers as they navigated the maze of New Beijing’s streets.

Kai paused against a wall a few blocks from the park, panting. “Wait… a second… I need… to catch my breath… Why… did I skip… calisthenics… with Torin every... day as a kid?”

Cinder snorted as she slowed to a stop. She extended a hand to pull him upwards. Kai accepted, but as she began to drag him up, he drew her forward.

“Ahhh!” Cinder gave a yell as she was thrown off balance. Kai grabbed her other arm to keep her from falling and pulled her into a warm embrace.

“Hey, slow down a minute. I just want to hug you. I love you. A lot.”

Cinder gave a relaxed sigh and nodded into his chest. “I love you too.” She tilted her head back to look at him and tugged his head toward hers for a kiss. She glanced to the left when they broke apart, pulling up a small clock in the corner of her vision. 11:52. Her eyes widened. “Kai, we have to go now or we’ll miss it!”

Kai relaxed his grip. Slowly a mischievous smile grew across his face. “Race you!” he cried. He bolted toward the park before Cinder had time to react. He was already half a block away when she shook her head and followed.

Cinder arrived at the park gate just a few seconds after Kai. He grabbed her hand, momentarily shocked by the coldness of the metal, and they walked in together. Somehow they were able to squeeze their way into the third row of the crowd, the unlit lanterns so close that Cinder could spot the soldered joints of the metal frames behind the ornate paper.

The time was 11:58. Kai stood behind Cinder with his arms wrapped around her shoulders. She rested her head on his bicep as she gazed at the decorations surrounding them. She gave a contented sigh and breathed in the cold night air. It was sharp against her skin, refreshingly jarring compared to the consistent temperature in the palace. The savory smell of fried meat was wafting from a nearby restaurant. The aroma mingled with faint smoke from firecrackers that had been lit earlier in the evening, likely to appease children who weren’t allowed to stay up past ten. Midnight drew closer and the volume of the crowd increased steadily.

“Ten,

nine,

eight,

seven,

six,

five,

four,

three,

two,

one! Happy new year!!”

Welcome back to TLC Secret Santa! Just in time for the holidays to begin :) It’s been two years since the last secret Santa, and we’ve added a few changes. We hope you’ll enjoy this event as much as we do!

But first, for those who have been with us before, the rules:

Sign up here by December 1st. (11:59 PST) Please use primary blogs! (Side blogs can’t send anonymous asks.)

Enable anonymous asks on your account (so you can receive messages from your designated Santa).

On December 14th, you’ll receive a url. Starting that day, you’ll send that url anonymous asks daily until the 25th. Don’t reveal who you are!

TLC Secret Santa lasts for a total of 12 days.

On the 25th, send the url a gift (anything–an edit, fanfiction, a gif), and reveal yourself!

Extras:

If you’re submitting artwork, moodboards, etc. A lot of Santas are unable to send their urls gifts without being revealed. In general, just to be on the safe side, just submit your posts to this blog with the recipient tagged in it.  We’ll cut out your name when we post, so you’ll stay anonymous.

12 Days of Christmas - in honor of the event being 12 days, we’ll have 12 different prompts for the entire event, one for each day. They will be released well before TLCSS begins, so look out for them :) These are completely optional! Our prompts are just to give Santas some direction if they’re not sure what to give their urls.

We have a hashtag! Feel free to use #tlcss2k18 on related posts :)

@highladymagnus Here's part 2! Enjoy! 😉

Scarlet couldn’t explain the feeling that had settled in her stomach, but she knew whenever she saw Wolf, it would awaken like a sweet flower blossoming under a ray of sunshine. It didn’t happen as often as she wanted, however. The only time she saw him was on the practising ground – her stomach fluttered every time his eyes searched for hers – which meant he was confined to his tent for most of the day.

Thankfully, he was always alone when she visited at night. It soon became a regular routine, talking to wolf before she disappeared to her own tent. Scarlet loved hearing him laugh; He had that kind of laugh that vibrated his whole body. Sometimes Scarlet was tempted to hug him, so his laugh would reverberate through her whole body. She blushed at the thought.

Their meetings would take up most of the night. But every morning, the fatigue from her eyes would disappear at the thought of wolf. That was until one morning, she had an unexpected visit from his master. He was already in her tent when she came back from practice, his back towards her. 

‘I think you’re in the wrong tent,’ Scarlet deadpanned.

The master spun around, his coat swaying with the movement. His face was thin, with sharp cheekbones and a moustache that curved at both ends, giving shape to his sneer. Without a word, he left the tent with an air of arrogance.

Scarlet wouldn't have been surprised if he knew of her visits. Whilst his presence had unsettled her, she wasn’t one who scared easily. But her heart grew uneasy when she thought of Wolf. 

The night before the finale, Scarlet resorted to sitting outside with Wolf. Wrapped up in Scarlet’s blanket, they stared out at the colourful tents of the camp and the nature that lay beyond.

Scarlet wrung her hands, thinking of the questions at the tip of her tongue. She stared down at her muddy boots poking out of the blanket. 

‘Wolf. Were you born like this? And how did you end up with your master?’ Scarlet scrunched her face up with disgust at the word. 

Wolf’s face looked withdrawn. 

‘No, I wasn’t. Queen Levana put my brother and I through these horrific experiments, turning us into killing mutants- ‘

‘You have a brother?’

Wolf nodded solemnly.

‘I wanted to leave that sadistic lifestyle, but he refused to come with me. So, I travelled to whatever place I could and found myself in Paris. Noticing my condition, my master had approached me out of the blue and offered me a chance to stay with his troupe. Before I knew it, I was stuck with him.'

Before Scarlet could ask more, Wolf changed the subject. 

‘So, what made you enter this circus contest?’

Scarlet leaned back on her hands.

‘My Grandmére. I owe her a lot for taking me in when I was thirteen. She’s been struggling to keep the farm and I just wanted to make her life easier.’

Wolf slid closer to Scarlet. ‘Don’t you have any parents?’

Scarlet snorted. ‘None that care about me.’

Wolf frowned. ‘I’m sorry-’

Scarlet planted a hand on top of his. The warmth of his hand surprised her. She hadn’t registered that movement, yet it felt so natural. Her heart relished for more of that warmth. 

Scarlet stroked Wolf’s furry, soft cheek with her hand. She traced her thumb from his temple down to his jaw. Then onto the scar on his lips. Wolf growled, his lips nuzzling against her thumb. Scarlet drew close, her lips an inch away from his. 

‘No matter what, I won’t let him hurt you tomorrow,’ she whispered. 

Wolf drew back, studying the determination she knew was written all over her face. 

‘Scarlet, he’s dangerous. He’s a-’

‘I don’t care who or what he is. I can’t sit there and listen to all those people cheering him on! I just can’t!’ Scarlet protested.

Wolf’s face softened. 

‘I just can’t...’ Scarlet broke off, biting her lip to stop it from trembling. 

Wolf cupped her cheek in his hand. ‘I promise you won’t.’ His warm lips met hers.

Scarlet pulled him closer, yearning for more. It was in that moment that Scarlet realised what she truly wanted.

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For the first time since the start of the festival, Scarlet didn’t have to suffocate in her tight bodice. But she still felt nauseous, her mind preoccupied over Wolf. She had not seen him since morning.

Scarlet watched from her seat in the audience, as the stage’s backdrop was decorated with gold lights and red and yellow ribbons. Her knees bobbed up and down. He wouldn’t kill Wolf, Scarlet thought. He needed him to win this contest. Or did he? Her boldness waned with every worst-case scenario. As the performances commenced, Scarlet zoned out, praying she wasn’t too late to save Wolf.

When the final performance was announced, Scarlet straightened up. The master stepped onto the stage, waving his hands extravagantly. He ushered two men to drag a platform onto the stage. 

Scarlet’s heart sank. She saw Wolf on that platform, his arms chained. He stood motionless, his head drooping. Fresh scars ripped into his arms. 

The master rolled out his whip and smacked the ground. Scarlet flinched.

‘For our final performance, we shall play a little game. A battle to the death. Let us see who wins. Man or beast!’

The master circled and taunted Wolf, snapping the whip close to spur a reaction. 

I promise you won’t, Wolf had said. But why wasn’t he moving? Why did he let him hurt him?

The audience cheered the master on. Scarlet noticed their unblinking reactions. They almost looked brainwashed...

Scarlet’s eyes widened with realisation. She unfolded the wrinkled, wanted poster she had slipped into her pocket. When she had seen the poster again, she felt as though it was familiar but couldn’t put her finger on it. But now, she could see that the facial structures were similar. Her suspicions rang true.

The master raised his whip.

Scarlet sprung up to her feet. ‘Stop!’

The master froze. The audience silenced. Wolf’s head snapped up.

‘That’s enough!’ Scarlet marched onto the stage. Wolf shook his head frantically. She flashed a reassuring smile at him before turning her attention to the master. 

The master smirked. ‘I haven't even started.’ 

Ignoring him, Scarlet turned to the audience. 

‘This man is not who he says he is! He’s been tricking you all along!’ Scarlet held up the poster in her hand. 

‘He is the thaumaturge you’ve been warned against. He has cheated and broken the regulations of this contest!’

The master tutted. ‘As you all can see, I look nothing like the person in that poster. She is just trying to discredit me, so she can win this contest!’

Scarlet laughed. ‘In case you didn't notice, I forfeited my entry.’

‘No...’ Wolf rasped.  

The master gritted his teeth. ‘I’ve had enough of this nonsense. You have no proof. Now, if you don’t mind, I think the audience are eager to see my performance.’

The crowd cheered with agreement. 

A shot echoed, dispelling the cheers.

The master jerked back, clutching the wound in his arm. Blood seeped through his fingers. 

Scarlet blew the smoke from her gun. She feigned surprise. 

‘What? You said I didn’t have proof. And if I’m correct, wounds hinder a lunar’s powers.’

Distracted by his wound, the master had forgotten to maintain his glamour and his spell on the people. Now he stood in his true form. His moustache disappeared. His blonde hair was a stark contrast to his green eyes.

The security stationed around the tent, made their way down the steps towards the stage. 

Scarlet stared at Wolf, relief flooding through her. Wolf smiled weakly. 

‘You foolish girl! You will regret this!’ The thaumaturge growled. 

Against her will, Scarlet’s hand shook. She fought against his power, but her arm ignored her panic, tucking the gun underneath her chin. Scarlet shut her eyes, refusing to shoot herself. 

A roar echoed through the tent, followed by the sound of shattered metal hitting the ground. Another growl rumbled.

Scarlet’s hand no longer felt forced. She opened her eyes and threw away her gun. As Scarlet calmed her erratic breathing, she gasped at Wolf punching the thaumaturge relentlessly to the ground. 

‘Wolf!’

Scarlet ran to him and pulled him from behind. 

Wolf made a final growl at the man before letting Scarlet pull him away. They both collapsed back on the ground. 

As the security dragged the limp man away and the tent emptied out, Wolf and Scarlet remained on the stage. 

Scarlet glanced at Wolf’s wounds. Sighing, she tore at the helm of her dress, producing two makeshift bandages. She wrapped them around his arms.

Wolf cleared his throat.

‘I’m sorry, Scarlet. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have forfeited your entry.’

Scarlet shook her head. ‘Winning the prize was my way of believing that I wouldn’t feel like a burden to my Grandmére. I was wrong to think that.’

Scarlet rested her hand on his arm and stared into his eyes.

‘Wolf… there’s something I wanted to ask you. Will you come home with me?’

Wolf grinned. ‘Don’t you have to buy me a drink first?’

Scarlet paused for a moment before grinning. She nudged him playfully.

‘You know what I mean. It’ll be a lot of work handling the farm and I don’t want you to feel you have to come but…’

Wolf swivelled around and held Scarlet’s hands, putting a stop to her rambling.

‘Scarlet… I’ll come home with you.’ Wolf laughed.

Scarlet grinned. ‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah.’

Scarlet hugged Wolf and pressed a kiss to his lips.

Just a reminder that our event is starting on Dec. 14th! Stay posted for 12 Days of Christmas prompts coming out later this week :)

6 days done, 6 days left to go! hopefully you’re all having a good time w ur santas :)

Yay!! No problem! I'm excited to read it lol 😂

Hey @highladymagnus! Sorry for the wait! Tumblr seems to dislike my long fanfics so I had to split this one into two parts. I was told you loved wolflet so I wrote a special fanfic based on them! Please consider this as a new year’s gift! Enjoy! 😉

Also thank you @tlcsecretsanta for organising this event!

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Scarlet sucked in a breath, cursing the stars as her bodice suffocated her chest. She wanted to throttle whoever had made this a required costume for the festival. She was here to show her talent, not her looks. 

Scarlet had never considered herself as much of a performer. But she couldn’t deny the hope the bright, flamboyant poster of the Cirque de Demain gave her, especially the winning prize: 100,000 Univs. She could easily vamp up her Grandmére’s farmhouse. If she could make her stay worthwhile, Scarlet would be content.

Waiting at the side of the stage, Scarlet sucked in another breath, pressing a hand against the stifling bodice.

‘And now, we will introduce our next auditionee, Scarlet Benoit!’ 

Scarlet walked onto the stage, her head held high. She plastered a smile for the judges on her left and waved a graceful hand as a greeting to the audience. 

Circus music blew throughout the tent.

Scarlet positioned herself towards the platform with glass bottles. Placing her hands on each gun holstered at her sides, Scarlet pulled out her right gun and in a blink of an eye, shot across the bottles. A satisfying harmony of shattered glass rang out, followed by cheers from every nook and cranny. 

Scarlet reloaded. She made her way to her next act, remembering to enchant the audience with her smile. Bottles were piled on top of each other in the shape of a pyramid. She held up the blindfold and showcased it to everyone. Scarlet covered her eyes and aimed her gun.

Calmly, she shot at the bottles she memorised in her head. Scarlet blew her gun and holstered it. The gasps of the audience reached her ears, a sign that her act had worked perfectly. She took her blindfold off. Before her, some of the inner bottles had shattered but the pyramid still stood undisturbed. 

Amongst the cheers, Scarlet thought she could hear someone booing. She turned to the crowd. The booing grew louder. It soon identified itself, as a man boldly stood up, a sneer on his face.

‘Is that all you can do? Shoot bottles? Why don’t you shake those hips for me instead? At least that would be more entertaining!’ He yelled. The music died down, engulfing the tent in silence. Scarlet pulled a wide, unflinching smile.

‘Looks like I’ve found an eager volunteer for my act! Sir, why don’t you come on up? Let’s have a round of applause!’ Scarlet encouraged. 

Awkwardly, the crowd clapped. The man licked his lips, jogging down the steps and onto the rounded stage. Scarlet guided him to a wheel with straps attached. She tied his arms and legs to it, ignoring his ragged breath on her. Four balloons were now positioned at his head, arms and between his legs. She faced the crowd.

‘Let’s give him a spin.’ 

Scarlet held onto the side of the wheel and set it spinning. With a sly grin, Scarlet put her blindfold on. She could hear the man panicking. She pointed her gun at him and then froze.

‘Maybe I should shake my hips. Make it a little interesting.’

Scarlet started to sway, her aim all over the place. The crowd started to laugh. The man cried out, praying to the stars. She focused her hand at the wheel, suppressing her smile. Concentrating, she listened to the sound of the wheel spinning. And shot four consecutive bullets. The shells leaving the chamber clinked onto the stage.

The crowd hushed. A smile tugged at Scarlet’s lips, as she removed her blindfold. She approached the wheel and stopped it in its place. The man shivered violently, his eyes closed. Four bullet holes penetrated the board, replacing the spots where the balloons had been. Scarlet untied the man. 

‘You can open your eyes now. You were quite lucky, considering that this was my first try.’ 

The man’s face paled. Scarlet winked at the man and splayed her arms out to the roaring crowd. She bowed and made her way offstage. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scarlet sat with the other contestants, watching the remaining auditionees. There were tightrope stunts, trapeze, aerial silk, even some magic tricks that Scarlet felt could only be plausible if the magicians themselves were lunars. 

But there was one act that caught Scarlet’s attention. A man with a red and black striped coat and a top hat, came onto the stage with another tall man. But he was no ordinary man. His skin was covered with fur and his hands looked like claws. Although his facial structure was human, he had a snout and fangs protruding his mouth. 

In between the boos of the crowd, Scarlet heard people yelling “Wolf-man!” or ”Monster!”. Scarlet’s heart grew uneasy, not for the crowd, but for the wolf man.

The man began throwing objects at the Wolf-man, which he ripped away with his claws. Then the man snapped out his whip. The wolf man dodged the lashes, running towards the man on all fours. But the man spun away, as if teasing a bull. This escalated until the whip hit the Wolf-man right on his back. He crumpled down to the ground. The crowd cheered. The Wolf-man glanced up at the audience.  

That was when Scarlet gasped. She found herself staring into his light, green eyes. She saw the sadness hidden within them. They looked so... human. 

The man struck him again, shaking Scarlet’s erratic heart. The wolf man dropped his head, not fighting the beats.

As the crowd cheered, Scarlet stared at them with disgust. Having seen enough, Scarlet rushed out of the tent. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the night drew close, Scarlet finished her shooting practice. Before retiring to her tent, she made a quick stop at the noticeboard stand in the middle of the camp area. She glanced briefly at the wanted posters before skimming the results next to it. She had made it through. But the news didn’t bring her joy.

Scarlet reverted back to the Wolf man and the treatment he had endured during his act. She couldn’t erase the look in his eyes from her mind. As she passed several tents, she glanced through an open flap of a tent, the light bathing her. She stopped as she saw him. 

The wolf man stood hunched over, twisting his head to see his scarred back. Scarlet watched with confusion as he stuck his tongue out. 

Was he... Was he trying to lick his wounds? Scarlet thought with disbelief. 

Without hesitation, she entered the tent.

‘Hey! You’re going to strain your neck if you keep doing that!’

The wolf-man stopped, his eyes meeting hers. He spun around, hiding his back. He lowered his eyes. 

Scarlet sighed. ‘Wait here. I’m going to get something to clean your wounds.’

As Scarlet turned away, she heard a small, deep voice.

‘It’s ok.’

Scarlet spun around. The wolf man continued staring at the ground.

‘It usually heals by itself. I’m used to it,’ he explained.

Scarlet snorted.

‘Well, you shouldn’t be used to it. And I’m not taking no for an answer.’

Ignoring his protests, Scarlet exited the tent. 

She returned with her medical supplies. With her best stern look, she persuaded him to sit and show his back. Scarlet dipped some disinfectant on a cotton ball and dabbed gently on his wound. The wolf man flinched, causing Scarlet to spring back. She pressed a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

‘Sorry,’ she whispered. 

The man’s back relaxed briefly. He glanced back at her hand. 

‘Why do you let him hurt you like this?’  She asked softly. The man bent his head down. 

‘He’s my master,’ the man stated, as though it made sense.

Scarlet scoffed. 

‘First of all, no one is the master of anyone. Everyone has their own right to live, no matter who they are.’

The wolf man sighed. ‘Not everyone thinks that way.’

Scarlet rolled out a bandage.

‘That’s why I don’t get on with other people. They just infuriate me. They have their own set of rules and expect other people to follow it.’

Scarlet thought back to the bodice and the fool she tried not to shoot during her act. She clenched her fists, holding in her frustration. But before she knew it, she ended up venting it to the wolf man.

By the time she had finished, she heard a chuckle.

The man sat properly beside her. He laughed harder, his eyes closing. Scarlet stared with amusement.

‘You’re laughing now, but I could have dropped unconscious on that stage.’ 

The wolf man calmed down. ‘I’m glad you didn’t... your act was great.’

Scarlet’s smile beamed. 

‘Yeah?’

The wolf man stared at her, his green eyes sparkling. 

‘Yeah,’ He whispered. Scarlet wasn’t sure how long they'd been staring at each other, but for a moment, it was all she wanted to do. 

The sound of chatter outside the tent reached their ears. The man’s smile faded instantly, his eyes glancing at the closed flap. Scarlet followed his gaze

‘Is everything ok?’ Scarlet asked. But the terror in his eyes told her otherwise.

He turned away, that burst of life disappearing. 

‘My master will be coming. You need to go,’ he warned.

Scarlet nodded. Reluctantly, she made her way to the entrance, unfolding the flap.

‘Wait…’

Scarlet glanced back at the man, who was now standing up. 

‘What’s your name?’

Scarlet smirked. ‘Scarlet. And yours?’

‘Ze’ev. But you can call me Wolf.’