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It was a good night to get away from the estate for a while. Clovis walked down the streets of a nearby village, going toward the town's pub to get a drink. Of course at home she could have any of the expensive wines or ales that were in a special room, but tonight was one of those _nights. She just needed to get away from feeling crowded. Upon reaching the pub, which read _Lone Wolf on the sign, Clovis entered with the hood of her cloak over her head and made her way over toward the main bar. It was packed but most of the Keidran and humans were spaced out at different tables. She chose the bar because hardly anyone sat up there when it was gambling night in the pub. Everyone was playing their poker games for extra coin. She sat down on a stool and gestured toward the bartender for his drink, to which the bartender gave a nod and began to prepare it swiftly. The half-breed had come here often when she needed to get away from the estate and it would get to be quite a show when fights broke out further into the night. The bar's patrons were full of life tonight like they usually were and playing their games would get exciting from time to time. Clovis received her drink from the bartender and paid the man in full plus a small tip to throw in as thanks.

Just as she was getting comfortable and drinking down the ale she ordered, a large wolf with blackish brown and creamy white fur walked into the pub. The wolf looked around as if searching for someone he knew in here, walking to see if he could spot them. When he got closer to the bar and looked behind him, the wolf waved at Clovis and smiled as he walked over, "Hey, boss! There you are!"

Gods why did that idiot follow me...? Can't they do anything right without me being there...? She groaned to herself as the wolf sat down on a stool next to hers, being much larger in size compared to the half-breed.

"I just wanted to come talk with ya! Hope you don't mind me being here?" The wolf asked while patting Clovis on the shoulder gently. "Bar is pretty packed tonight, huh? Do you come here to play cards too?"

"No I just come to get out of the estate for a bit and for some fresh air. Sometimes the study gets too stuffy for my liking, Brutus." She was thinking in the back of her mind if the wolf followed her or if it was just by dumb luck.

Brutus was often not the brightest wolf but Clovis made him her right hand wolf for a very good reason. "I understand that, boss. Sometimes we all need to just get away from work."

Did she just hear that come out of the wolf's mouth? Clovis sat the drink down after finishing it and waved to the bartender to get one for her bodyguard. The bartender complied and set another one in front of the half-breed, going back to making Brutus' drink before setting it down. "Here you go."

The bartender went back to working on cleaning up the bar and the two Keidran enjoyed their drinks, sitting in awkward silence. Clovis halfway finished her second drink before going into thought about something. "It's nice to actually just sit here but it's hard to ever get anyone to just go out to the pub as a friend. Having guards only really makes them your workers and not really friends..."

"Well maybe I could be your friend, boss?" The wolf answered, casually taking another drink from his mug and smiling to the half-breed.

_A friend...him...? _Clovis thought to herself for a while, conflicted in thought about the idea of her right hand man and her being actual friends. That complication could lead the other guards into thinking that she didn't care about who they were to her. Well she really didn't care about the others. Brutus was the only one that actually mattered. "Yea I'd...I'd actually like that..."

Later into the night the two seemed to have more than their fair share of drinks and decided to call it a night. They made a few crude jokes here and there, not to mention had nice conversation. It was a game changer for Clovis, never having any friends or really getting close to anyone for that matter. As they walked back down the street into the late hours of the night, Brutus helped her walk when he noticed Clovis stumbling a little.

"I can walk...I don't need any help..." She tried to shove the large wolf away but Brutus wasn't having any of it seeing his boss drunker than a skunk.

"You'll fall into the street or something...I think you need to be more careful about how much ale you take in."

"I can drink however much I want to you idiot..." Clovis stumbled away and Brutus kept pulling her away from the street, trying to keep the half-breed from where she was going.

"What if you have too much? I know you hate hangovers." He laughed a little and Clovis let out a frustrated groan, trying to pull away from her bodyguard but she was unsuccessful. "I guess you're just not used to having a friend care so much about you, boss."

"Well maybe it's because I'm not a nice woman, okay?" Her voice began to be more annoyed than joking this time and realized the ugly truth about herself. Clovis knew she could never be a good woman with the work she does to be at the top of her game. It was a risky business for sure.

"Aw c'mon boss, you're a great woman! You're the best boss I've ever worked for!"

"I'm possibly the worst one you _can _work for Brutus! I'm terrible!" She pulled back sharply with her voice rising in anger, more at herself than the dumb puppy in front of her. Her red eyes looked up at the wolf who seemed so confused.

When is that new? He never understands what I'm talking about.

"What am I saying...? You'll never understand what it's like..." Clovis continued to walk down the street with Brutus to follow shortly, grabbing her arms tightly in his larger hands.

"What do you mean what it's like....? You're just doing your job. You have some pretty ruthless men who are ready to lay their lives on the line for you and you have to be just as ruthless to be a leader in this group. You can't let them push you over, boss! You are the leader and they have to listen to you! I listen to you!"

The awkward silence came back after he blurted everything out, Clovis just staring at the wolf dumbfounded that she could have possibly been wrong about her bodyguard not being as smart as he seemed. It was overwhelming as well as surprising to see this is why she had picked him to be her right hand man. Brutus always knew what to do when it came to situations that seemed difficult to deal when the other guards tried to step out of line. He was the muscle of the group. He loosened his grip on Clovis' arms when he stopped rambling, the half-breed stepping away and running off down the street. Brutus tried to follow but of course Clovis was a bit faster, stumbling here and there before turning down an alleyway to take a shortcut home. She needed to be away from the wolf and to think.

After walking while trying to keep her balance, it seemed she lost the brute before slowing down more and getting lost in thought. "What is he thinking...? I don't need friends...I am meant to be alone...He's wrong about me."

There was a sudden shuffling noise in the alley ahead of the half-breed. It sounded like multiple people coming from all sides. She stopped and began to move a hand to the dagger that was in its sheath at her side, gripping it tightly if she should need to. People in cloaks stepped out and surrounded her, moving in close.

"Look what we found. A Keidran."

"Must be far from your master. Who do you belong to, filthy beast?"

Clovis bared her teeth to the men, growling and pulling the dagger from its holder in defense. She wasn't about to let these men take her in for a bit of coin. She suddenly lunged out at the person in front of her and was unsuccessful feeling someone from behind disable her weapon, putting her in a hold. Her body acted on reflex and bit down on the man's arm, making him let go and shoving the guy out of her way. One of the other men pushed Clovis into a brick wall by the throat and began to lay punches to her muzzle. The other man was about to use a Keidran slave collar on her when something lunged out of the alley to the right and clawed him to the ground. The man who had Clovis by the neck was next and was sent flying next to his friend before falling unconscious. The one who had disabled the half-breed from the start drew a weapon and barely scratched him at the side.

It took Clovis a minute to recognize that it was Brutus who was fighting off these men, sitting on the ground in disbelief. The wolf growled and lunged at the man only to claw at his arm, making him run off as it bled down his sleeve. He looked around to see if anyone else had been nearby but thankfully none to his knowledge. He took off the cloak he wore and took a second to look over his wounds, then back to the half-breed sitting behind him. Clovis looked away ashamed for a minute, the other kneeling down to check on his boss for a moment.

"Why did you run off? You're bleeding now."

"Speak for yourself, dummy. You're the one more scratched up than I am. I had it handled!"

"And you were just going to let them collar and sell you for a bit o' coin? To slavers? Boss if something happened to you I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." The wolf explained and took his blood soaked cloak to her muzzle, wiping off the blood as it stained her blonde fur. Clovis winced and looked at Brutus in the eyes, knowing no one else would have come to her rescue but this fool. "Thanks..."

"For what? We're friends, boss. It's what we do. I know you'd do the same for me." He smiled and pulled her up, letting Clovis lean on him for support. The other chuckled a bit and held on, walking slowly with Brutus and shook her head.

"Yea I would."