Talen wasn’t exactly what Rune had been expecting. He behaved far more animalistically than Devian had described. Rune thought Talen just used his werewolf nature to be more rough-and-tumble, as he had seen in other werewolves in his community before, but this was different. Talen genuinely seemed to be more wolf than man.  

When talking didn’t work, he had to make a split-second decision to pin Talen down in order to remove his chains. Rune could see in Talen’s eyes that he fully intended to use his teeth and claws, and Rune needed to tread carefully. But after tackling him and backing away, Talen grew afraid of Rune. The next time Rune moved, Talen made a mad dash for his nearest exit.

It wasn’t really an exit, as he chose to fly up the stairs and right to Rune’s bedroom. On all fours, no less. Rune followed behind at a leisurely pace so as to not make Talen feel cornered, but he had a feeling his efforts were for naught. When he emerged in his bedroom doorway, he listened for the sound of Talen’s rapid heartbeat, and found him hiding under the bed.

Talen growled in warning when Rune arrived. Rune could hear a specific tone within it, a nonverbal way of saying that he was afraid, and therefore he was defensive, and therefore he was dangerous. Rune had hoped for their first meeting to have gone a little differently, but it was obvious he would have to make adjustments. Clearly it was too soon to sit down and discuss boundaries. Rune would need to see to other concerns first, and hopefully once Talen calmed down, he would be willing to speak.

Food was the first thing that came to mind. Rune went back downstairs to his kitchen and cooked up some seasoned chicken. He ate his dinner first, and cut up a hefty portion onto a second plate for Talen. Devian had told him that Talen was used to bland food, nothing fancy or anything that took a substantial amount of time to make. Some masters often fed their slaves similar diets, only providing hearty meals for rewards, but one of the community’s rules was that health came first. Talen was clearly not well cared for, and it seemed Devian didn’t prioritize his health. 

Rune returned upstairs. He wasn’t fazed by Talen’s growling as he approached the bed. Rune suspected that if he ventured too close, Talen would dart out from under the bed and bite him, but Rune needed to establish who was in charge as well as take care of Talen. So he moved forward without fear and set the plate down on the floor by the bed. He slid it underneath, just far enough so Talen knew it was for him but not so far so that he’d have to stick his hand under there, and then he returned to his post in his bedroom doorway to watch. 

From this standpoint, Rune could see the plate, but not Talen. Talen’s growling quieted down, soon followed by a soft groan. A second later, Talen moved the plate out of sight. Rune listened as the werewolf noisily devoured the chicken in less than a minute. He worried that Talen would make himself sick from eating so quickly, but then again, he couldn’t blame him. This was probably the first good meal he’d had in a while. 

Talen remained quiet after he finished eating. Rune assumed he’d had a tiring day, and Talen most likely wouldn’t want to come out anytime soon.

Rune knew most slaves weren’t given any comforts unless earned, but he wanted Talen to feel safe enough to interact with him, and the best way to establish some trust was to help Talen feel human. Warm food was one part of it. Comfortable bedding was another. Rune walked over to his closet and grabbed a spare blanket from a shelf, then headed back to the bed. He set the blanket down in the same spot he’d set the plate, then backed away to the middle of the room.

A moment passed, and Talen made an irritated sound. The plate came sliding out from under the bed, fast enough that it managed to hit the wall on the other side of the room. Rune raised a brow. The dominant side of him bristled at such rude behavior, but he reminded himself that he couldn’t start punishing Talen just yet. He sighed, picked up the plate, and went downstairs to set it in his dishwasher. 

When he returned to his room, he spotted Talen’s face next to the blanket. He’d been curiously examining it, but his attention quickly snapped to Rune as he appeared, and he bared his teeth. Rune caught sight of their sharpness and decided to stay in the doorway again. He leaned his shoulder against it, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched the werewolf. Talen backed away out of view, leaving the blanket. 

Rune guessed that Talen wasn’t sure if he could take the blanket. This was the first sign of slave conditioning Rune had seen so far, and he was a little glad for it. At least Talen was somewhat trained. It would give him somewhere more solid to start. 

Rune walked back over to his bed and pushed the blanket underneath it, letting Talen know he could have it. He waited a few feet away from the bed until he heard the fabric rustle, indicating that Talen had accepted the blanket. Satisfied, Rune turned and left. 

He started his bedtime routine in the bathroom, showering and brushing his teeth. He thought about having Talen take a shower soon, but he’d have to complete a few necessary steps between them before he could get Talen cleaned up. For now, they both needed some rest. 

Rune returned to his bedroom and headed into his closet, where he changed into some sleepwear. He emerged into his room and slid open his window to let in the cool night breeze. Then he shut off the lights and climbed into bed. He heard Talen growl as he drew close to the bed and settled on top of it, but once Rune got comfortable and grew still, eventually Talen quieted down again. 

Rune thought he’d have a hard time sleeping with a volatile werewolf underneath his bed, but he dozed off not long later.