#zad

"Skíthof"

Leman cursed to himself as he prowled through the great hall, cold blue eyes surveying the room as he searched. He trailed his gaze over the mass of baselines before him, scowling at anyone attempting to catch his eye. He inhaled deeply, sniffing at the air and snorting as all he received was the acidic tang of wine and the spices of hot meals.

He continued muttering to himself and he stalked through the crowd, keeping his head low. A beast on the hunt.

"you can't hide forever little Jova" he growled, dropping his voice to reverberate through the gathering, low enough that human ears lost it in the laughter and chat of the party. He scented the air again, eyes narrowing as he finally picked up a scent. He ran the scent through his olfactory gland, teasing out all the information he could manage.

Warm keratin

Saliva

Sugar

He grinned, fangs beared. Oh yes, that was definitely him.

Baselines scurried away from his hulking mass as he patrolled, finally coming to a stop at a small rounded table in a corner. Gingerly lifting the cloth, he found the source of the scent. A crushed pile of icing and syrup spread across the crushed velvet rug and a single white feather dancing along the floor. Russ picked it up between calloused fingers and brought it to his nose, inhaling as he peered around. His eyes landed on a small smeared trail of white frosting and jam.

"gotcha"

He rose to his feet and followed the trail, each massive step leading him towards a small side door. Serfs hurried in and out, arms laden with steaming dishes and crystalline pitchers of swirling wine.

"move thrall" he sniped, shouldering through the wooden door, sending servants scattering around him. He grabbed a passing girl by her and pulled her to him, lifting her off her feet.

"you, listen, I want this door kept closed, understand?"

The girl stared up at him, eyes wide and moist as she faced the titan before her.

Leman rolled his eyes and snarled " Hálfvit answer, do you understand" shaking her slightly. She squeaked and nodded, sniffling as the hand that gripped her collar finally dropped her. Satisfied, the wild skulked through the door clicked it shut.

Finding himself in the serf kitchen, he quickly set about throwing servants and maids out, sealing each entrance shut behind them. The scent was stronger in here, his prize was finally in sight. He dropped to his haunches, scouring the room with predatory eyes, flicking back and forth into each dark corner. The room was dimly lit by the dying embers of the large cooking fire in the hearth, a large oak counter filled the center of the room and various cupboards and shelves lined the walls.

Finally he heard a gentle clang and zeroed in a small cupboard set back from the fireplace. Smirking, he rose back into the balls of his thick booted feet and stepped over, reaching through the open hatch, he fumbled around before clutching his prize and pulling it out into the flickering light.

"Hjolda, little lordling" he laughed, bringing his catch up to his face.

The toddler giggled and squirmed in his grasp, fat hands coated in mess reaching for his uncle's face as he laughed. His wine red eyes scrunched in joy as he hung from the wolf's might grip, spinning slightly.

"I took my eye off you for 5 minutes, how are you this filthy child?"

He spun the child, getting a good look at the mess he had somehow managed to engulf himself in. Cake and pastry matted into his silky gold curls and icing or rainbow colours was encrusted in the down of his small cherub wings. His mouth and rosey cheeks were buried under lumps of chocolate and fruit peelings.

"your father's going to kill me" leman thought, remember the lecture sanguinius had given him not an hour before about keeping an eye on him. Running a free hand through his burnished hair, he considered his options.

He set the babe in the tabletop and sucked at his fangs as he thought. "I suppose I could dunk you in a mop bucket" he mused out loud, turning on the spot as he searched the room. "But I don't think the angel will be keen on that either" he turned back and shrugged. "So Zadkiel, what do you think?"

"CAKE"

"I am absolutely not giving you more"

"CAKE"

"no"

"CAKECAKECAKECAKECAKE"

the boy continued to babble, clapping happily as he changed, swaying and flaring his feathery nubs as he did so.

Leam gripped the edge of the counter and lent down, eye level with his nephew. "No, nothing else until we've scrubbed this mulch from you."

"unkl ruff"

Lemans eyebrows shot up in surprise as small fingers gripped his face. "What?"

Vermillion eyes stared back from under long blonde lashes as Zadkiel squeezed Leman's face. Frowning in concentration before a wide dirty grin dimpled his round face.

"ruff ruff ruff cakecakecakecakecake"

The primark stared back for a moment before a toothy smile of his own cracked his visage.

"very well, little lord, who am I to argue when you speak so eloquently"

The primark of the space wolves, lord of fenris, the emperors execution.