[ P ] Beast of Burden

T

he sun was unforgiving on the pelt of the dark wolf who toiled on the ground below. Or, rather, Rue was toiling in the ground. Her assigned task for the day was to dig holes. That was it… dig holes. Was it any wonder she was well suited for the job? Despite being locked away for four weeks, she was still of beastly size, tall and muscular and imposing.

Rue had been released from the dungeons, only to be informed of the draft — the same king who had imprisoned her now expected the ebony beast to serve him. There was some business about an impending war to be fought, preparations to be made. She would be a fine soldier, but the Royalists seemed to know better than to send her to training. She was not one to be trusted. Instead, they would use her strength in whatever suited their purpose. Ditches and trenches for the fighters to use in combat, along with empty graves for them to fill with the corpses of their enemies.

Head down. Silent There was no need to draw more attention – though an enormous black wolf with red eyes was hardly inconspicuous. She ignored the stares of Mainlanders – curious stares, judgmental stares, it was all the same to her. She did as she was told, though the semblance of rage still dwelt within her ribcage. It was their fault that her head still ached on some days. The same king who denied his prisoners medical care, and had left her unconscious behind bars for hours before rousing.

And yet… She had stayed there in the Mainlands, even when her sentence had ended after a month. The scarlet-eyed brute had remained in Yorkshire, despite her hatred of the man. Here, she was fed. She had a mindless job to do. Most importantly, Rue breathed fresh air again. The blackness of the dungeon was forever imprinted on her memory. Compared with that, the task she had been assigned was a pleasant stroll. The darkess consumed her still – when her eyes were closed, she could still see, still feel the embrace of cold and filth.

Finding the ground she stood within was much cooler than the sunbaked ground above, Rue took a moment to lean against the exposed earthen wall. She was covered in dirt, large black paws now painted red-brown by the soil, panting softly from the exertion of her labors.



@Andraste

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

She could feel the heat from the sun soaking through her fur, her face was angled towards the burning star. Mismatched hues were hidden by closed lids as she took what few minutes she had to bathe in the warm light cast down on her. When she wasn't hidden in the the burrows or rolling in the sand pits to keep her skills and body in immaculate shape, she was ordered to patrol the trenches. of course, there was never an occasion where her lieutenant or captain was too far away to oversee the entire operation. This was never her first choice of duties- no part of watching and walking was an activity she jumped for.

For a brief moment, she realized the sound of rustling below in the trench she was previously approaching had come to a stop. Her ears would flick at the silence, waiting for it to continue once more. After a minute or so, she gave a sigh as her head fell downwards slowly, away from the rays of the sun. Lavender and ice were revealed finally, adjusting to the brightness after having been concealed from the light. Brows furrowed as she moved closer to the edge of the ditch below quietly. An ebony behemoth laid against the earth that was exposed on the walls- not digging: not working. Andraste remained silent, but paws worked forward until she was just over the slacker.

A smirk would creep across her face as she coiled backwards, moving a few steps backwards. Then, she sprung forward far enough to land her front paws on the edge of the trench, heavy paws would fall with precision on the earths edge to break more of it above the woman below her. Chunks of the earth would break away and fall down the wall of the trench, dirt releasing on it way down. "Great weather to dig a ditch, huh?" She stood at the edge that she had just beat loose to cover the woman. Mismatched hues stayed locked on the woman, while taking just a couple steps to the side of her original spot. She gave a shrug, lips parted and her chords fell down to the wolf below her. "My apologies, I must've stepped wrong" she watched, and waited.

table ; bunny art ; ashon

T

he comfort and coolness of the shade was short-lived, much to Rue’s surprise and dismay. Crumbling clouds of earth began to rain over her — mostly loose dirt, but with rocks large enough to sting as she was pelted from above. Rue took a step away from the shadowy edge of the massive hole, but it was already over, and she was coated in dust and dirt now. Blood-red eyes lifted to see a female standing above her, and she glared with the intensity of a forest fire at this stranger.

”great weather to dig a ditch, huh?" Rue could only assume it was a guard sent to supervise her laborious task. An insincere apology, accompanied by an excuse, was offered from the stranger’s smirking muzzle.

Dark lips curled upward to reveal ivory canines, and a low grown like distant thunder rumbled in her throat. The ebony brute had never see this particular guard before. ”Come to watch others do your king’s actual work, eh?” Her voice was deep and gruff; she had spoken little more than a few words since her arrest, having avoided her brothers, and having no other connections to these wretched lands.

An idea occurred to the brutish wolf, and without a moment’s hesitation, she lowered her head and squares her shoulder. With all of her remaining strength, she threw herself into the side of the huge ditch with her weight. Rue hoped this would cause the earth the other stood upon to crumble beneath her paws… even if it meant being covered in more earth. She jumped back to avoid being landed on, if her actions were successful.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck