@Jinx:
(whenever you have a minute!) <3
He did not think Jinx would appreciate his threats against the brute, but he would stand behind them. Majesty's disrespect of himself, as well as Fox, would need to be addressed; Lecter was not one to shut his mouth, as those who knew him understood.
Wending his way into the thick dimness, the shaman stood perched in a shaft of eldritch light and tipped back his crown, calling for his lover. He sought to draw her from the Mount, from prying ears, and fell silent, awaiting her response.
As days passed and turned into weeks and months upon the mountain, Jinx became every more aggressive about the hierarchy. Just a few days ago, she had firmly told Majesty that those above him required his respect, whether or not he wanted to give it to them. Tyrande's shifty glances at her mate had earned her the attention of the Alpha, who had swiftly put her back in her place, resentful thoughts from the recipient aside. Eventually, there would come a need for a second enforcer, but when that time came, she intended to allow them to make themselves known rather than selecting only her favourite.
Today, hierarchy and protocol was forgotten as she caught the husky voice of her mate calling from the Wilds. Giddy with the chance to spend time with him and far removed from the weighty thoughts of leadership, she removed herself from Neverwinter Forest, her favourite haunt away from home, as swiftly as her legs could carry her. She plunged into the Heartwood following his trail, too focused on him to notice the beauty of the wood around her.
She didn't hesitate to approach him when she found him, not like when she was younger and hesitant of his teachings. She did so boldly now, reaching out to nip fondly at the tufted fur of his cheek before sliding her body alongside his with her tail waving gleefully behind her.
He purled in answer, butting her affectionately, ears sliding back and a kiss burning upon his lips as he pressed it to her chin. "Love," he sighed into her thick ruff, content for simple basking in her inviting presence. But business loomed, and the subject of Majesty's mistake, and at length he pulled away to contemplate Jinx's fire-eyes, albeit briefly.
"After one of my times at the Vale, I traveled to Swiftcurrent. Of course I gave Fox some excuse for my presence there, but I wished to see if her pack has grown in our absence. There, I learned that a certain Majesty has been dawdling around her lands and refusing to leave. I did not think that a wise mark upon our reputation, that ignorance should be abided, so I called him to myself and told him not to do there again. It is apparent, and I said as much, that the final decision was to yourself, but he challenged my rank and life."
A sly smirk crossed the other's face. "Of course, I may have exacerbated this behaviour by threatening to throw him from the top of Silvertip if he disobeyed." Tongue in teeth, Lecter looked to Jinx. He was not apprehensive of her, but her displeasure was not something he wished to endure.
There were times when Jinx was acutely aware of the age gap between herself and her mate, like when brief flashes of his icy eyes would alert her to his chronic discomfort, but most of the time she forgot he was much older. His returned affections were no less feverish than a younger man's might have been. He was wiser, much more than Jinx could ever hope to be, and in many ways he was stronger than her.
He showed that now in explaining what had transpired with Majesty. She herself would not have admitted to threatening a pack mate's life, but Lecter must have known by now what Jinx's stance on it was. “It is your right,” crooned the Alpha with a tight-lipped smile, adding, “It is not his to threaten you. If he makes another threat toward you, make sure you send his ass down before his face... Or I'll do it myself.” When Majesty would later come to speak to Jinx about the incident, she would put it more plainly, but the simple fact was that rank aside, her mate was everyone's superior.
“I have worried about some of our number,” she admitted next with a troubled glance at her mate. “Tyrande concerns me. She does not seem to understand her own breed. Perhaps I must keep a closer eye on Majesty as well.”
He chuffed, pleased with her response, though he knew he would not fight Majesty, not fairly. No; his was perhaps what others would think a cowardly sort of skirmish, but no less deadly for its lack of physicality. At her concerns, his bloodstained ears swiveled in contemplation. "I do not like Tyrande," Lecter muttered frankly. "There is an insanity in her that may drive her toward power, at her own demise, of course. But she may be one to observe. Majesty is a fool, but a charismatic fool in his own right."
Tailtip flicked. "He is more of a threat between the two." Icewater eyes slid toward Jinx mischievously. "Perhaps Ira could be persuaded to ... train his skills upon Majesty, if the beast becomes too brazen for his own good."
Much as she was loathe to admit it, both wolves were a threat to her authority. Tyrande constantly had to be reminded of her place in the pack, since she seemed wholly incapable of respecting her superiors, while Majesty was beginning to show a bad habit for testing the limits of the higher ups. Both of them had already betrayed her in some capacity, although she knew nothing of their transgressions against her and her wolves. Lecter was wary of them both, and Jinx followed his example.
“She will find no power here,” muttered the Alpha female. Tyrande could have been the most contributing member of the pack for all Jinx cared, but so long as the wolf would not accept her place in the pack, the Alpha would not regard her. Majesty had potential, but there was just something about him that held her back from allowing him to rise. “I had considered Majesty of some merit but perhaps I... Overestimated. I believe Ira would enjoy the opportunity to make something of himself.”
Of course, Ira was always diligent in his training, but that didn't change the fact that the young prince had zero motivation, at least in Jinx's mind. Of late he had been absent, and she couldn't forget how he dared to court a female from another pack. Perhaps it was time to whip him into shape, and determine Majesty's intent as well.
Lecter would have liked to believe that his dislike of Majesty had begun before the dark wolf had spoken against him, and perhaps it was so, but it had been magnified a thousand times following the other's spurious words. His thoughts traveled to the scarce Ira, and he wondered if adolescence or another reason kept the boy away, but Jinx had not yet addressed it, and so he was content to let his mate handle the discipline of her prodigal ward.
"Ah, their foolishness will consume them. They have no strength, nothing that will last." They were suited for each other, he decided, each full of inflated self-worth. In an attempt to lighten the gravity of the situation, Lecter nuzzled the pale plush of Jinx's ruff, enjoying her scent for a moment. "You have undergone much these past months, Jinx. What have you done to calm yourself when the stress rises?"
She nodded decisively, her suspicions against Tyrande mounting by the second. That Majesty had threatened her mate was a grave thing, though she believed they would work it out as wolves tended to do. Lecter would come out on top, of this she had no doubt. Majesty was younger and more spry, but Lecter had years of experience on his shoulders. The age of her mate was no doubt why she didn't immediately peg him as suited to the position of Beta instead of Majesty, although she was beginning to second guess that plan as well.
When asked what she did to relieve stress, the female grunted softly. “Nothing,” although that likely wasn't what the shaman wanted to hear. “I have allowed it to accumulate. One of these days, though...” She knew she couldn't hold it in forever. That day wouldn't come now, and not even for a few months... Though it would come.
He did not like that Jinx did not relieve her tensions, through any means, though at length a roguish smile wended its way onto his lips, lighting his icewater eyes somewhat. "You could allow me to aid you," the shaman suggested, nudging her gently with the point of his muzzle. His jest was half-meant; Lecter would happily oblige his mate, but still felt she needed another source of release, perhaps one more murderous.
In truth, Lecter had laid hesitant plans to poison Majesty, without arousing the suspicion of the others. It would be a wondrous thing indeed if he was able to procure the herbs from Tyrande's lair, and therefore foist the blame upon her, but he had been unable to find the proper way to carry this out — thus far.
Sorry for neglecting this. >_> Fading here.
The pale Alpha felt her lips twitch when Lecter offered to aid her. She had a certain sort of aid in mind, and while it was likely true she needed more than that to calm down, she would never say no. She brushed past the madman, inviting him with a sly smile and a bump of her hip to join her in a more private location.