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Rnd 1 Ends March 18th Ouch in my tiredness I accidently posted over my original post -sigh- Basically, Azren called all Nix'rio members to a hunt. The deer are nearby and everyone is hungry..

Table by Yahtzee

Rnd 1 Ends March 18th Ouch in my tiredness I accidently posted over my original post -sigh- Basically, Azren called all Nix'rio members to a hunt. The deer are nearby and everyone is hungry..

Table by Yahtzee

Rnd 1 Ends March 18th Ouch in my tiredness I accidently posted over my original post -sigh- Basically, Azren called all Nix'rio members to a hunt. The deer are nearby and everyone is hungry..

Table by Yahtzee

Like a moth drawn to the light, the earthen-hued Nix’rio wolf made daily trips throughout his home territory, and at times he surpassed the borders to feed the yearning to be free. Each time he found himself beyond the outskirts of the territory, he would linger beyond if only to taste what it felt to be gone. Deep down, he knew he would never leave Nix’rio. He couldn’t. Within the realm of the Vargo a drumming of beckoning always beat within the brute’s ears, and the sound became intense and unbearable when he found himself on the outskirts of Torva. His heart was given away within the realm of Torva, and now it was lost. Here, within the Vargo, he would live, and die. The winter painted a vast majority of Torva, and even with the warm days that had dwelled for far too short of a time, the snow was persistent and ever existent. The large wolf walked with a slight swagger, and his head was held low and his shoulders slumped. As he crossed the border, heading back into the Vargo, the familiar scent of the King struck his senses. Although he had not seen the beast since the meeting, and even then he found little interest in conversing with anyone, Alcyoneus found himself searching for the blue eyed, onyx sovereign. Scents of cloven beasts tugged at the man’s senses as he trotted along, but he did not give into the desire to seek them out. He needed to find Azren. But, no matter how determined he was to ignore the sensual smell and thought of a fresh kill, he seemed to grow closer and closer to the scent of deer. A soft growl emitted from his lips as he pulled to a halt, and his hardened gaze scanned the surrounding area. Was he subconsciously following the scent of the deer? A rumble within his gut seemed to support the idea, but the sound of barely audible paw falls changed his train of thought. The field came into view as he walked along cautiously, in an attempt to keep attention away from himself. Here, the scent of deer was strong and fresh, but the lack of their forms was almost discouraging. And then he spotted Azren. A grunt left the brute in greeting as he approached the King, and a wag of his tail showed his genuine pleasure of finding the man. ”Thought I was going crazy. I made it my first priority to find you, but the scent of deer became more and more prevalent.. I thought my gut had taken over.” he spoke casually, but in a low, almost hushed, tone. ”Hunger pawing at your gut aswell?” an awkward grin lifted Alcyoneus’s lip, but quickly faded. He felt awkward, and found it hard to socialize.. He hadn’t avoided others for that long, but then again he had never known what to say to others. X’yrin and what she said was all that ever mattered.

TABLE BY YAHTZEE, IMAGE BY BRII <3

Aurora's scarred head lifted as a howl echoed through the Vargo. From the sound, it was none other than that arrogant Azren calling the pack together. She grumbled, raising herself from what had been a truly lovely nap. "Now what?" she muttered, loping off in the direction of the call.
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Aurora slowed as she reached Azren and some other wolf. She didn't really care who he was. "Azren." said Aurora curtly, sitting down some distance off. Her shoulders were hunched and her head was down and she didn't make eye contact with either male after her initial greeting. Her body language was clear. I don't want to be here, I don't like either of you, and if anyone pushes my buttons I just might mess them up. Undoubtedly a childish attitude, but she didn't really care. She was making every attempt to get under the pack's skin. Just because she was a captive didn't mean she had to be dignified about it.

Still, she wondered what the pack was gathering for. She hoped it was a hunt. She hadn't caught anything decent in a few days. She wondered what they would go after, if it was a hunt. Aurora knew she wasn't the best hunter in the world, but she liked to think she was reasonably good. Her build was that of the endurance runner, with a barrel chest and long, powerful legs capable of eating up the ground like wildfire. She would enjoy a long hunt, running down her prey to finally feast. The last thought made her scoff. She doubted she would get more than scraps from this.

A thought made her raise her head slightly, brow furrowing. Everyone would be engrossed in chasing down dinner, right? She wondered how far she could get if she just so happened to run the opposite direction.

ooc; Heike was sniffing hungry into a empty burrow and growled darkly at the emptiness inside, just then the dark leaders voice rolled through the land and Heike lifted his head slowly, ears pinned forward. A slight wind brushed through the big white males thick, long winter fur as he stood as a statue for a mare moment. Heike had only been with the rest of his new pack, err family when sleeping, Azren would not forgive him hiding away anymore. The statue kicked back into life as he started a light run toward the source of the call. Heike flew through the forest like a white ghost. Snow brushing up at his feet as his strong legs carried him forward. Soon the trees thinned out and Heike was coming near the fields, two wolves had come before him, the beta, Alcyoneus and the female Aurora, which Heike had learned was a captive of the pack. He slowed down as he aprouched the group and ended up walking in. ”Greetings, Azren, Alcyoneus.” He said lowering his head in respect, then looking back at the female, scars on her face. He nodded at her then looking out on the fields. ”So, to make it easy; What's up?” Heike asked, scanning the white cowered ground. Heike didn't sit down, he was still so awkward with the others, instead he looked back, ears twitched forward, waiting for a familiar face, for the one wolf that kept him on land, and kept the nudger at bay. Dimitri had to come soon. "Heike huffs."

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ooc; Heike was sniffing hungry into a empty burrow and growled darkly at the emptiness inside, just then the dark leaders voice rolled through the land and Heike lifted his head slowly, ears pinned forward. A slight wind brushed through the big white males thick, long winter fur as he stood as a statue for a mare moment. Heike had only been with the rest of his new pack, err family when sleeping, Azren would not forgive him hiding away anymore. The statue kicked back into life as he started a light run toward the source of the call. Heike flew through the forest like a white ghost. Snow brushing up at his feet as his strong legs carried him forward. Soon the trees thinned out and Heike was coming near the fields, two wolves had come before him, the beta, Alcyoneus and the female Aurora, which Heike had learned was a captive of the pack. He slowed down as he aprouched the group and ended up walking in. ”Greetings, Azren, Alcyoneus.” He said lowering his head in respect, then looking back at the female, scars on her face. He nodded at her then looking out on the fields. ”So, to make it easy; What's up?” Heike asked, scanning the white cowered ground. Heike didn't sit down, he was still so awkward with the others, instead he looked back, ears twitched forward, waiting for a familiar face, for the one wolf that kept him on land, and kept the nudger at bay. Dimitri had to come soon. "Heike huffs."

Table by Yahtzee

ooc; Heike was sniffing hungry into a empty burrow and growled darkly at the emptiness inside, just then the dark leaders voice rolled through the land and Heike lifted his head slowly, ears pinned forward. A slight wind brushed through the big white males thick, long winter fur as he stood as a statue for a mare moment. Heike had only been with the rest of his new pack, err family when sleeping, Azren would not forgive him hiding away anymore. The statue kicked back into life as he started a light run toward the source of the call. Heike flew through the forest like a white ghost. Snow brushing up at his feet as his strong legs carried him forward. Soon the trees thinned out and Heike was coming near the fields, two wolves had come before him, the beta, Alcyoneus and the female Aurora, which Heike had learned was a captive of the pack. He slowed down as he aprouched the group and ended up walking in. ”Greetings, Azren, Alcyoneus.” He said lowering his head in respect, then looking back at the female, scars on her face. He nodded at her then looking out on the fields. ”So, to make it easy; What's up?” Heike asked, scanning the white cowered ground. Heike didn't sit down, he was still so awkward with the others, instead he looked back, ears twitched forward, waiting for a familiar face, for the one wolf that kept him on land, and kept the nudger at bay. Dimitri had to come soon. "Heike huffs."

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OOC.

The stillness around her was just as alarming to any prey animal as the beast herself, her shoulders were the highest part of her body as she crawled forward, belly almost touching the ground. Green gaze locked on the little rabbit ahead of her, Dimitri bared her teeth excitedly, feeling like she was almost close enough. The silence was only held by what seemed like the breath she dared not release, as time seemed frozen in the single moment when she was ready to leap forwards.

The rabbit bolted at the sound of a nearby howl, one that told of gather and hunt, and the girl snarled as the white tail disappeared in it's hole. She flattened her ears a moment, feeling the childish need to not show up because Azren had chased her rabbit away, but dismissed the thought and began at a fast trot towards the gatherers. The three whom were already gathered, Dimitri was proud to know all of their faces. Azren, the black leader. Alctoneus, the regent. Aurora, the unfortunate captive. Dimitri's nose twitching was the only show of dislike, not towards Aurora, but towards the fact of Captives and slaves.

"Greetings, Azren." She said politely. "How far off are the deer?" She asked as she padded up to Heike's side and rubbed her shoulder affectionately against his. She sat down and nodded in turn to both Aurora and Alcy, making sure the dip of her head to Alcyoneus was deeper, yet a shine in her eye for Aurora. The cream girl looked back to Azren, awaiting his answer, and wondering what Aurora was thinking, as she looked rather thoughtful.

“She Speaks.” She thinks. She does.

Aurora looked up with a slight grunt of surprise as two more wolves made themselves visible; the white male Heike, and Dimitri. Aurora thumped her tail quietly as Dimitri passed. She had been one of the first wolves to show her kindness since her induction. She watched as she bumped Heike's shoulder and turned her head the other direction to hide her grin of amusement. Her thoughts wandered back to an escape plan. She eventually concluded that Azren would probably be watching her like a hawk on this hunt. She would have to rely on plan B.

She glanced over at Azren again, scowling. How did wolves even come to follow a brute like him? She wondered how much unrest she could spread behind his back. Enough to at least ruffle his fur, she hoped. She chimed in to Dimitri's question. "Yeah, how far are we going, Azzy?" she asked with a slight smirk. "Moon forbid we end up chasing it onto another pack's territory, hm?"

Rnd 1 Ends March 18th No posting order Aurora is really grating Azzies nerves lol. Silent and still as a statue he waited, silently planning the hunt in his head. Alexander was silent, choosing not to participate in pack activities. In fact he found the thought of a hunt boring and he'd mentioned it to Azren before but the ashen king knew that survival depended on the collection of meat during the winter months. As Alcyoneus approached he smiled warmly to the man, his ear perking forward as he listened. "No worries Alcyoneus, food is not far away." His stomach had been begging to be filled for a couple of days now and he figured it would do everyone well to feast, not to mention collect food to store for the winter months. He'd recently scouted out a small empty cave that hadn't been used in ages and he thought it would do quite well for a storage area for the meat. Aurora was the next to show and Azren nodded to her politely, offering the same warm, welcome smile he had Alcyoneus. Although she was a captive within his ranks she was still a part of his family like it or not. She would be treated as any other pack member until she did something stupid. "Good morning Aurora, settling in well?" He asked, lifting his head just in time to spot Heike. The promising new member of Nix'rio would be leaving them soon in order to see exactly what Demetrius was planning. Azren knew he wasn't paranoid. He needed information so he could be prepared for whatever may come. "We are preparing for a hunt." He replied with a devious grin. "Hungry?" He questioned with a chuckle. Another new but familiar face appeared shortly after Heike had and the ashen king followed her with his gaze. "Not far, just over the next hill..." he trailed off upon hearing Aurora's disrespectful and uncalled for retort. He snorted in response and stood, hackles rising along his back. The man held his head high and his tail like a flag. "I'm smart enough NOT to kill prey on the lands of another pack other then those I am in alliance with. I will not allow anyone to go further then needed." He spat, anger rising in his voice. His words were followed with a soft growl as he held her in his icy gaze. He had attempted to be friendly but it appeared Aurora was just to stubborn and stupid to recognize genuine friendliness. He fought to drag his steely gaze away from her and trotted in the direction of the heard, stopping at the base of the hill and taking a seat once more, he turned to face the group that had gathered. We'll wait a few more minute to be sure no one else is going to so show up. Five or ten minutes should be long enough for the rest to gather. Everyone ready? Maybe we can bring down more then one, this is a big heard and one of the does already appears injured. I believe her leg is broke." With that said he fell silent ones again, a statue who's only sign of life was the fur that swayed and shifted in the breeze.

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Rnd 1 Ends March 18th No posting order Aurora is really grating Azzies nerves lol. Silent and still as a statue he waited, silently planning the hunt in his head. Alexander was silent, choosing not to participate in pack activities. In fact he found the thought of a hunt boring and he'd mentioned it to Azren before but the ashen king knew that survival depended on the collection of meat during the winter months. As Alcyoneus approached he smiled warmly to the man, his ear perking forward as he listened. "No worries Alcyoneus, food is not far away." His stomach had been begging to be filled for a couple of days now and he figured it would do everyone well to feast, not to mention collect food to store for the winter months. He'd recently scouted out a small empty cave that hadn't been used in ages and he thought it would do quite well for a storage area for the meat. Aurora was the next to show and Azren nodded to her politely, offering the same warm, welcome smile he had Alcyoneus. Although she was a captive within his ranks she was still a part of his family like it or not. She would be treated as any other pack member until she did something stupid. "Good morning Aurora, settling in well?" He asked, lifting his head just in time to spot Heike. The promising new member of Nix'rio would be leaving them soon in order to see exactly what Demetrius was planning. Azren knew he wasn't paranoid. He needed information so he could be prepared for whatever may come. "We are preparing for a hunt." He replied with a devious grin. "Hungry?" He questioned with a chuckle. Another new but familiar face appeared shortly after Heike had and the ashen king followed her with his gaze. "Not far, just over the next hill..." he trailed off upon hearing Aurora's disrespectful and uncalled for retort. He snorted in response and stood, hackles rising along his back. The man held his head high and his tail like a flag. "I'm smart enough NOT to kill prey on the lands of another pack other then those I am in alliance with. I will not allow anyone to go further then needed." He spat, anger rising in his voice. His words were followed with a soft growl as he held her in his icy gaze. He had attempted to be friendly but it appeared Aurora was just to stubborn and stupid to recognize genuine friendliness. He fought to drag his steely gaze away from her and trotted in the direction of the heard, stopping at the base of the hill and taking a seat once more, he turned to face the group that had gathered. We'll wait a few more minute to be sure no one else is going to so show up. Five or ten minutes should be long enough for the rest to gather. Everyone ready? Maybe we can bring down more then one, this is a big heard and one of the does already appears injured. I believe her leg is broke." With that said he fell silent ones again, a statue who's only sign of life was the fur that swayed and shifted in the breeze.

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Rnd 1 Ends March 18th No posting order Aurora is really grating Azzies nerves lol. Silent and still as a statue he waited, silently planning the hunt in his head. Alexander was silent, choosing not to participate in pack activities. In fact he found the thought of a hunt boring and he'd mentioned it to Azren before but the ashen king knew that survival depended on the collection of meat during the winter months. As Alcyoneus approached he smiled warmly to the man, his ear perking forward as he listened. "No worries Alcyoneus, food is not far away." His stomach had been begging to be filled for a couple of days now and he figured it would do everyone well to feast, not to mention collect food to store for the winter months. He'd recently scouted out a small empty cave that hadn't been used in ages and he thought it would do quite well for a storage area for the meat. Aurora was the next to show and Azren nodded to her politely, offering the same warm, welcome smile he had Alcyoneus. Although she was a captive within his ranks she was still a part of his family like it or not. She would be treated as any other pack member until she did something stupid. "Good morning Aurora, settling in well?" He asked, lifting his head just in time to spot Heike. The promising new member of Nix'rio would be leaving them soon in order to see exactly what Demetrius was planning. Azren knew he wasn't paranoid. He needed information so he could be prepared for whatever may come. "We are preparing for a hunt." He replied with a devious grin. "Hungry?" He questioned with a chuckle. Another new but familiar face appeared shortly after Heike had and the ashen king followed her with his gaze. "Not far, just over the next hill..." he trailed off upon hearing Aurora's disrespectful and uncalled for retort. He snorted in response and stood, hackles rising along his back. The man held his head high and his tail like a flag. "I'm smart enough NOT to kill prey on the lands of another pack other then those I am in alliance with. I will not allow anyone to go further then needed." He spat, anger rising in his voice. His words were followed with a soft growl as he held her in his icy gaze. He had attempted to be friendly but it appeared Aurora was just to stubborn and stupid to recognize genuine friendliness. He fought to drag his steely gaze away from her and trotted in the direction of the heard, stopping at the base of the hill and taking a seat once more, he turned to face the group that had gathered. We'll wait a few more minute to be sure no one else is going to so show up. Five or ten minutes should be long enough for the rest to gather. Everyone ready? Maybe we can bring down more then one, this is a big heard and one of the does already appears injured. I believe her leg is broke." With that said he fell silent ones again, a statue who's only sign of life was the fur that swayed and shifted in the breeze.

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Aurora flicked her ears back reflexively at the murderous rumble that was Azren's angry voice, but she couldn't help the self-satisfied grin that curled across her lips. The insult stung, doubly so because she could not think of a good retort, but she had gotten under his skin, at least. She shot a private wink at Dimitri before nonchalantly examining her tail. "It's not my fault the borders were poorly marked." she said.

She turned her attention to the deer herd in the distance. Several does, maybe two or three bucks. It would be a tough fight. Deer were extremely fast and agile, their only hope lay with outrunning the injured one. She looked down at the snow blanketing the ground. Not deep enough to hinder their prey while they danced nimbly over the snowdrifts. She figured this would be a good time to gauge how fit Nix'rio was. If a chance to escape did appear, she would have a good estimate of what she would be up against.

(God, Aurry's just digging her own grave, huh?)

OOC. It's so short... T_T

Dimitri almost winced at the words that were exchanged between Alzren and Aurora. Her own ears twitched at the dark growl, it was so quiet, yet it held all the menace that was needed. She caught the wink from her friend and her lip twitched in a grin, amused by how gruff and brave, or stupid, the silver she-wolf was, though she hid it quickly. She followed Azren at a trot, her ears perked with interest, excited to see what they were up again. Her tail wagged and she lowered her head, looking back at Heike excitedly and back again.

Then, rather out of no where, she found herself looking back at Aurora as she made yet another comment about the borders, her tone bitchy and hateful. Her ears twitched and Dimitri realized she was standing between Azren and Aurora. She sniffed and pretended not to notice, acting as if nothing were wrong in the first place. Maybe Azren wouldn't get too mad... Maybe he wouldn't notice her there as he barrels her over to get to Aurora? Who knows. Oh, this may be bad placement after all... She glanced between the two, somewhat nervous, then wondered why she wasn't moving.

“She Speaks.” She thinks. She does.

The pack was assembling; this much the boy was sure. The darkening of his pelt seemed to contribute to his ways of a stalker, and he lingered from view for a long while. Settled downwind, he was sure that no one could see him, let alone smell him. An odd smile grabbed at the corners of his lips, but quickly dissipated once a familiar scent passed by. Al. An odd feeling of glee tugged at the boy’s tail, and it thumped almost sporadically against the cold earth. Scents of other wolves caught his attention as suddenly stood tall, smiling at the idea of other wolves. Even the captive was within range, which brought the idea of Terramorn to the boy’s thoughts. Where was she, at that exact moment? The young beast quickly rose and stood tall, for he stretched out each limb with evident care. With the late winter breeze came the sweet smell of deer, and with that a flood of excitement washed over the maturing wolf. When he was presented with the possibility of killing a goat, in the Southern region, he had fled in fear of the fallen ‘Renatio’ wolves. Now, the idea of aiding his father, King Azren, possibly Queen Nahrus, and the rest of the pack, it all made the boy mad with excitement, and suddenly an aching thirst. Almost as if he were frenzied, the boy dashed off into the direction of the gathering wolves. Each stride carried the agile creature far, but he had not needed to travel far, for he almost ran right into Azren. Pulling to a halt near the large King, Aku whined his excitement and brushed up against the black beast, hanging his head a little sheepishly. ”Your highness!” he murmured quickly. However, he could not bring himself to wait for the King’s quick response, for Aku quickly rushed at Alcyoneus and bumped the large man’s shoulder playfully. The earthen-hued man grunted his own greeting to the boy, before snapping at him to settle down and get low. ”No need to hush me, sire. I know our duty. We must hunt to sustain the pack!” he declared almost too loudly, biting back growl when Alcyoneus bared his teeth and growled softly. ”Okay, okay.. Where’s Addy?” he quickly shot at Azren, a new happiness replacing his already existing one. Was his wonderful sister to aid in this hunt as well??

Aurora observed the pup with a quizzical expression. She had met this wolf before, hadn't she? Right, right, at the eclipse at the Monoliths. She blinked as she realized this wolf was Azren's son. Wow. A friendly pup from two grumpy sons of grizzlies? Now I've seen everything. She snorted, raising her head to catch the faint scent of the distant herd. She doubted they would be able to catch more than one deer. You got one chance hunting fast prey, and by the time you brought down one animal the rest of the herd had usually fled. If she squinted, she could make out the one doe with a severe limp. Despite it being prey, her heart twisted with pity. What was it like, to be as fast as the wind, then reduced to a crawl? She hoped the would be able to kill it quickly, to end the doe's pain.

Refusing to be a part of her childishness Azren ignored the comment despite wanting to tell her that he had freshly marked the borders the same day she was found hunting on his territory. Dimitri had an excuse, Azren had been gone and the borders had become stale however Aurora's was a poor one. His azure gaze turned to Dimitri, noting the smile and he growled softly in her direction. This wasn't funny and she as a part of his pack should know better then to be affiliating with a captive. The poor me attitude Aurora put out was becoming quite the annoyance to Azren. As Aku came bounding onto the scene Azren took the opportunity to do a head-count. Not everyone but it would be enough for the moment.

"I want two of you to go for the wounded female, she should be an easy catch. Perhaps Alcyoneus and Aku could get her down easily? What do you think boys?" He smirked and looked to the rest of them. "As for us, we'll be going for the buck right there. It shouldn't be hard to head him off and bring in a decent sized meal for all of us so unless someone has a better idea let's get to it."

OOC.

The young Aku made his appearance, making Dimitri watch him with amusement. He was a pup, so excitable and friendly, and he was the heir to the pack. He would be a leader one day. He happily greeted Azren, then excitedly greeted Alcy. Dimitri knew that this was Aclyoneus' pup, yet he had never known the pup's mother, nor had she heard tell of the she-wolf at all. She wondered what had happened to his mother. The girl decided to ask Alcyoneus later, if she got the chance. The way Aku acted amused Dimitri a bit, as his excitement was pushed aside when he was hushed by his father. He spoke of another, Addy, and the green-eyed girl wondered whom he was referring to.

Dimitri heard the growl and lowered her head a bit with a twitch of her ears in apology. She had, of course, been amused by Aurora's words, but it was obvious he was annoyed, and so she would not pester him. She watched the deer in interest, ears pricked and muscles ready. She was quite excited, of course, barely able to hold herself back from running at the deer headlong. Of course,to do that would be stupid, and Dimitri forced herself to stay still, waiting to see which targets Azren chooses.

She looked at the dark emperor as he spoke of their targets. her green gaze locked onto the buck. "I'll go around him to slow him down when he runs." She stated, taking one of the more dangerous tasks. It was her favorite part, though, and she suspected that she was one of the fastest wolves. She knew how to run, and she knew even better how to cut prey off. She began to stalk to the right to take a position that would let her run out and meet the buck as he ran from her packmates.

“She Speaks.” She thinks. She does.

Aurora nodded at Dimitri, all business now that the hunt was afoot. "I can keep him running in whatever direction you need him to." she said quietly, stalking close to Dimitri before changing course, heading left. She looked back at the pack, slipping into what was almost a sign language of tail and ear flicks, head gestures, and blinks. She indicated that the others could lay in ambush while she ran the deer towards them. She prided herself on her endurance. She could lope all day, and keep a deer running as long as it took to wear it down and drive it into ambush.

(FAIL POST. So sorry ene)

It was an odd feeling, to have found comfort in the presence of the King. Of course, Azren was the man who gave his time and every waking moment to his pack. Despite this evident point, it was true that, in the beginning of Azren’s reign, Alcyoneus despised the man with an unfathomable hatred. Perhaps it was the idea of his beloved, X’yrin, being deemed Queen, along the ebony hellion. Did he ever have feelings for her? That idea alone was simply snorted away, for it did not matter now. X’yrin was dead. There was no point in holding onto the past. It was safe to say, however, that Alcyoneus was finding it hard to avoid the growing feeling of kinship that he felt toward the King. A lopsided smile managed to lift the man’s earthen features momentarily, when Azren addressed him, but it was Aurora who contributed to the lack of expression afterward. The captive was still reluctant. A sneer managed to flash her way, before the man looked onward toward the scent of deer. ”She should be far more grateful that you did not mangle her body and keep her as a slave. She should be thankful that she will have meat in her belly.” the brute murmured in his husky tones, speaking to no one in particular. Heike’s presence was a bit of a different story. The ivory beast did not seem to take a liking to the Nix’rio regent, but the titled brute did not mind. A simple nod was given in acknowledgement and greeting, but nothing more or less. Dimitri, the pretty she beast who was betrothed to Heike, approached, and Alcyoneus returned her gesture of greeting. Sea-green eyes followed her gaze to Aurora, and an odd feeling of suspicion filled the man. And then Aku appeared. A feeling of anxiety washed over Alcyoneus as the boy nearly ran straight into the King. A low rumble left the male as he watched the boy recover, offering a rather personal greeting to the King. As he looked to Aurora, who seemed to study the boy, Aku bumped him playfully. ”Get down, boy.” he snapped, ivory incisors pulling away with bits of the boy’s dark coat. ”No need to hush me, sire. I know our duty. We must hunt to sustain the pack!” Another nudge, bared teeth, and the boy complied, but asked of his sister. Addy. A mixture of growl and a whine left the man, but he quickly silenced it as he stood tall, not wanting to dwell on the idea of his little girl. With Azren’s direction, Alcyoneus jerked his head to beckon the boy along. ”This is your time, little Prince. I remember when you were barely the size of my paw, you wanted to run with the hunting party.” Alcyoneus could not help the thunderous chuckle at his exaggeration, and he nipped at the boy, who snapped back. ”I was ready to hunt far before now. Show me how it’s done, old man.” the boy’s tone held an edge of coldness, but his expression was full of jest. Still, Alcyoneus growled. ”Keep quiet, and follow my lead.” The boy’s first hunt would be easier than his own, Alcyoneus decided quickly. As he moved, he threw a quick glance back to see the lanky beast mirroring him exactly. The idea of his son being a stalking beast sparked a feeling of pride, and he continued forward. Lucky for them, they lay down wind, which was the opposite of his first hunt, and his first mistake. ”The winds of changes are always ready to strike, my boy. Thus, we must get to the doe before the heavens decide to play sides and let the injured thing escape.” his words were whispered softly, and without saying, it was the last of anything that would leave his lips. Drawing closer and closer, the heard came into view. The she creature grazed in the presence and protection of her buck, and Alcyoneus felt a pang of worry stab at his gut. As if indicating to the boy, he stared warily at the male beast. Aku’s movements were slow and careful, watching his father’s reactions. Of course, he saw the male and his lack of horns, but it was still a dangerous game to play. Before he could lay at Alcyoneus’s side to wait for his first move, the man was off. In a rush of movement, Alcyoneus shot toward the female. The silence that followed his agile movements were like that of a mountain feline, but his strategy was better than that of a cats. Aku followed the man, his long limbs stretch and pulled, and he did his best to keep silent. But his maw fell open and a war cry left his lips. A snarl tore the larger man’s lips apart at the sound of the boy behind him, and this sent the female deer into an erect position of attention. But it was too late. Even as Aku cried his pleasure and Alcyoneus ran at the beast, the buck was at too great of distance to sweep in and rescue his doe. In an instant, Alcyoneus launched himself onto the doe, straddling her almost. His powerful jaws wrapped around the back of her neck and locked in place. Under the pressure of the large wolf, the female buckled and stumbled forward before hopping and kicking in an attempt to get the predator off. Aku quickly stopped a few feet from the doe’s rear, watching her fruitless attempt at ridding the man of her backside. His snarls indicated his annoyance, but the look in his eyes sent a shudder of fear down Aku’s spine. ’We’ll be lucky if the others can get to the buck before he runs off with the rest of the deer. Damn child!’ the thoughts hammered in the man’s skull as he held on to the doe. The overwhelming feeling of falling almost caused Alcyoneus to release the doe, but he merely tightened his grip. A single glance was all it took to see Aku holding onto the damaged leg of their prey. ’He’s not daft..’ he thought coyly. However, even as the boy held onto her leg, causing her to scream out and attempt to kick even as he fell, Alcyoneus knew this was going to be harder than he first thought. Viciously, he shook his head and could feel the flesh pulling from the doe’s neck, but she still fought. Harder and harder he bit down, feeling the rush of blood greeting his lips. A growl, sounding almost like a purr, left his lips and instinct took over. He released her for a split second before taking a firmer grip and snapping, leaving more puncture wounds and blood dripping down her shoulders. But it was the cry of a stricken beast that seemed to break the blood lusty trance. Even as the doe lay sprawled on the earth, with her forelegs folded and stuck under her front end, her free leg managed to strike the boy. A blood curdling snarl ripped from the beast’s jaws as he pulled away for a moment, but he quickly returned his grasp and shook his head in a fashion of killing. The cracking of bones in the doe’s neck guaranteed her end was near, but that was all Alcyoneus did. She did not move as he jumped from her body, toward his boy, but she made feeble attempts at crying for her buck. No attention was paid to the happenings around the male. He stopped before Aku and sniffed, nudging the boy who lay silent and motionless. There were no signs of blood, and he was definitely breathing..

TABLE BY YAHTZEE, IMAGE BY BRII <3