Firestone Hot Springs A Deer in the Mist

OOC: @Rayder

IC: Majesty stalked forward slowly, keeping his eyes on the big buck in front of him at all times. His large body moved with a sort of clumsy grace. Wolves were naturally graceful when they moved, but his bulk kept him from moving as gracefully as he would have liked. He just hoped the steam from the hot springs would keep hidden from his prey. He took another step, ever aware that, because he was doing this alone, if he failed, he would not get a second chance.

Majesty had not had a big meal in days. Normally, he did not mind eating smaller prey, as he found that when he ate particularly large animals he couldn't move for hours afterwards. A sudden hiss of steam brought him out of his thoughts, and he looked up at the buck again to see that it had also been startled. Now it was looking around cautiously, its nose up in the air, smelling for danger. Majesty prayed that all the water hanging in the air would mask his scent. He had never been very good at hunting. He didn't want to fail now. Perhaps he could bring the pelt back to Silvertip Mountain when he was done with the meat and put into the pack's cache.

With this thought in mind, he continued moving forward, after his prey…

Clearly, Rayder is a master of stealth xD

If he were still a lone wolf, this would have been a gift from above -- the deer in front of him was a ways from it's group, making it a significantly easier target, as long as he avoided getting kicked with it's powerful legs, which he was rather confident he could do. Rayder was to the far right of the warm spring, instead taking to a lush coverage of tall grass and bushes. The humid mist traveled to him despite this as he watched his prey.

His ears twitched as his gaze moved from the deer to a figure shrouded by the hot air of the springs. If he had been facing any other way, like the unfortunate buck was, he likely wouldn't have noticed it. His jaw went a tad slack in shock as he watched the figure continuing to stalk towards the very same prey he was after. No way. Irritation came over him at the thought of having his meal stolen from right under his nose, and he accidentally let out a small growl, and though it was quiet, with the deer's excellent hearing, it sensed the danger, and quickly begin to move.

Cursing under his breath, Rayder knew he would have to move as well -- it was now or never, even if he was in competition with another predator from the looks of it. Jumping out of his hiding place, he sprinted after the buck.

OOC: Uh-huh. Let him keep telling himself that. Lol.

IC: Majesty looked up from his focus on the buck at the sound of paws thudding on the ground nearby. He took a long sniff, opening his mouth to get a better scent through the muggy air. It was a wolf! A male wolf. His ears rotated in the direction of the sound of the paws and he saw a shape materialize out of the steam. The male was running at full-speed toward the buck with a determined look in his eye.

Majesty ran at the buck as well, figuring he could help his fellow wolf out. If they both took it down, he wouldn't mind sharing the meat, even though he adored deer meat above all else. An entire buck was too much for him to eat on his own. As he neared his - their - prey, he made sure to avoid the legs of the buck. He had been kicked a few times, and it was not something he wanted to re-experience now.

While his personality was extremely flawed, Rayder made up for this in psychical manners. It helped his hunting skills greatly, his experience from being a loner for so long also aiding him. He glanced to his side to see the figure from the mists, another predator as he expected -- and another wolf at that. He realized however there was no smugness or malicious intent in the other's eyes. This made him grin.

"Come on, let's go!" He barked out to the stranger with a forceful tone, urging him to go faster. And then pushed himself to his own limits, his sprint increasing into that of a wild charge and he panted heavily as he did so. Rayder knew he was exerting himself too much and would soon run out of energy, but they were so close to the running buck it didn't matter. When he reached the side of the buck, he opened his jaw, and managed to sink his teeth into it. But he'd counted on the brown wolf's aid, otherwise he was in danger of just getting dragged along by the larger prey, and though he would be able to inflict a serious wound, it was likely he would be incredibly sore at the end of the experience.

Majesty watched with wide eyes as his acquaintance latched onto the side of the buck. This was very brave, and very foolish, in his opinion. It left him wide open for a kick, or an antler to the side if the buck only turned his head. But it was also the only way the two of them could bring the buck down by themselves. Quickly, he lunged forward and latched his front claws into the creature's flank, ignoring its call of pain.

"What now?" he called to his recently-met companion. "I've never been very good at hunting!" Even as he asked, the buck stumbled and it landed on its chest on the ground, making a distressed sound. Majesty stumbled too, trying to keep his balance. He unlatched his claws from the buck's side, looking over at the white wolf from across the creature's back. "What now?" he repeated.

He thanked his sheer luck as the wolf did indeed assist him, and the buck made it's way to the ground. Rayder stabilized his own balance a little quicker than the other wolf, and glanced fiercely at the stranger, huffing at his question. "I'll make sure it doesn't get back up -- you kill it!" He said, fast as the deer was now struggling, kicking every which way but due to it's panic the kicks were easily avoidable.

Rayder pinned the deer's upper body, flashing his fangs in it's face to scare it further and then biting it's front leg when it tried to turn, growling as he twisted his head around to inflict more damage. The buck swung it's own skull wildly, and missed Rayder with it's antlers by only a hair or two as he tried to keep dodging away while still keeping his grip.

"I'll make sure it doesn't get back up!" said the white wolf. "You kill it!"

Majesty gave a single nod and helped his acquaintance pin the creature down. At it swung its massive head wildly back and forth, he waited for the right moment and then lunged forward and took the creature's throat in his jaws. He always hated this part of hunting large animals. He hated the time in which he had to sit and let them struggle because he was not big enough to end their suffering any other way. He sighed as he waited for the buck to stop thrashing. The process was slow and emotionally painful for Majesty, but eventually, the animal was dead and he could let go.

He worked his jaws a bit, grimacing as they tried to cramp up on him from holding on so tightly for so long. Ignoring the other wolf momentarily, he bowed his head as he always did after killing another animal, and began the prayer: "Great forces of nature, Gods and Goddesses of the Earth, I thank you this day for offering myself and my friend this meal to nourish our bodies. May this buck's soul find its way to peace. So mote it be."

Majesty was not necessarily a religious wolf, but his mother had always taught him to hold all animals in high respect - and that included prey animals. And so, from a very young age, he had come up with this prayer, or others similar to it, to thank the forces of nature for things like rain when there was a drought, or food, or the cool shade of a tree on a hot day. Most of the time he only said these prayers in his mind. But today, he decided to speak one aloud, for his part in the buck's death had affected him strongly.

Now he looked up at his companion, expecting many questions or at least a funny look. He had always gotten funny looks when others had heard his prayers. He was used to them. They did not bother him. He smiled at the white wolf expectantly.

Finally, Rayder thought when he saw the brown wolf clamp his jaws around the deer's neck. The deer slowly ceased it's struggle, weakening by the second and eventually going limp. The male let go of the creature about the same time his companion did, looking at him. A few seconds later, some rather (in Rayder's eyes) corny words were falling out of the other's mouth.

Smirking a little, brows raised, his tail swished behind him, finding the prayer pretty entertaining. When his acquaintance was done speaking, looking at him with a smile, he chuckled. "'S just a deer." The male teased. "But alright. I think if the thing is no longer having to deal with our fangs, it's pretty much in peace already." Rayder joked, attempting to lighten the mood further after just recovering from an intense moment of the hunt.

The somewhat submissive behavior of the other did not go unnoticed by the tan male. As he dug his teeth into the prey to try and remove some of it's tough pelt to get to the meat, he spoke in between bites, giving advice as a repayment for the aid. "Y'know, you shouldn't let people push ya around like that. I mean, people other than me. I know I tend to have that effect on people."

Majesty smiled when he realized that this white wolf had no intention of making fun of his prayer. He didn't really consider the slight teasing a bad thing. So, he was happy, and began digging gratefully into the meat of the buck. Mmm… Venison, he thought to himself. But he was brought out of his thoughts when his companion began speaking again.

"Y'know, you shouldn't let people push ya around like that. I mean, people other than me. I know I tend to have that effect on people."

"Push me around?" Majesty repeated. "What do you mean? And how do you know that that's even true? We don't even know each other." Deep down, however, the chocolate-brown wolf knew that his companion spoke the truth. He was rather submissive, and he had always disliked that about himself. But at the same time, he also liked it. He didn't think there was a reason to ever be very dominant unless it was absolutely necessary. He told his new friend this.

"Even if it is true that I am rather submissive most of the time - because it is - I don't see why this a bad thing. I have found that when one becomes dominant, they often begin to walk a fine line between leadership and dictatorship. So, I usually avoid that dilemma all-together by simply letting others lead. Others who usually have more experience. I don't consider myself 'pushed around.'"

The other wolf seemed to get defensive about his point, furthering proving it to Rayder. But he let his hunting partner finish what he was talking about, taking in his words to form a more suitable reply rather than blurting out more advice. "...Then what about when you get old and crusty? No one will ever remember you if you just sit on the sidelines and follow orders your whole life." He said, then paused to feast on the deer some more, now able to get a bite of the meat, which was delicious.

"'M not saying you gotta be a leader all the time, sometimes it's more of a benefit to be in a lower rank." This was the case for him right now -- he wasn't looking to officially be an alpha currently, as there was no need for it, especially in the Plateau. And he didn't know enough about the area or the residents yet, to try and start his own pack if he so desired.

Swallowing another bite of the freshly killed buck, Rayder took a breath before continuing. "But even when in a lower rank, you don't have to be submissive in personality. Just in posture." A sly grin came over his face -- hinting at how true his own words were for himself, having no respect for the current leadership despite only being a Kappa.

Majesty listened to his companion's words silently, taking this time to enjoy more venison. When the white wolf was done speaking, Majesty swallowed his mouthful and spoke. "I suppose you are right. I do often find myself in situations where it is going to take more than one person to lead the others through a situation. I have found that when put on the spot, I am good at a leadership role - if I do say so myself."

He paused to take another bite. "Come to think of it," he went on after he had swallowed, "I don't think my personality really is submissive. I often speak my mind about subjects that bother me, even if it goes against what a higher-ranking member wants. I think doing that actually got me in trouble the other day," he mumbled, remembering his angry conversation with Jinx's mate.

He decided that he liked this male, and that he could trust him to a certain degree. "It has always been my dream to start a pack of my own. I suppose this means I will have to lead more often. Alphas should be good at leading." He nodded to himself. "Thank you for the advice, friend. My name is Majesty, of the Silvertip Mountain Pack."

Pfft, Rayder, I would not advise going to Silvertip for submissive members xD I think Majesty is like the only one there that is not reluctant in submission there (and you just made him change that XD)

Rayder was pleased to see that the brown wolf took his advice to heart, his tail wagging confidently behind him as a sign of this. "All it takes is willpower." He said, though perhaps it wasn't something he thought was totally true. Willpower was a lot of it, having the drive was very important. But one also had to be gifted with strength.

Then again, the male could see where a previously weak wolf could become strong -- in fact, he was seeing that happen in front of him. "And that's exactly what you should do, speak up even at the risk of punishment." Rayder told him somewhat sternly, nodding. "Those who don't agree are obviously simple-minded compared to you." And then, he got a thanks, a name and pack as well. Silvertip Mountain, eh? He'd have to check that out when he had the time. If all of the members could be taught as easily as this...well, he was going to have quite a good reputation by the end of it.

"No problem. You can call me Rayder."

OOC: Lol, I know right? The only reason I wanted Majesty to be part of the STM pack was so that he could have awkward dominance tests with Jinx and stuff because Jinx's character is the epitome of "BE SUBMISSIVE OR I WILL EAT YOU!" … <3 Jinx…

IC: Majesty stood from his meal, having had his fill. "I wouldn't call those who disagree with me simple-minded. Remember what I said about walking a fine line between leadership and dictatorship? Calling those disagree with me 'simple-minded' sounds a bit too much like something a dictator or a tyrant would do. If I'm going to lead my own pack one day, that's not the sort of reputation I want to have. But regardless, thank you for flattering me so."

He bowed to the white male. "Rayder," he repeated. "It was nice to meet you, and to share a meal with you. Perhaps we can talk again one day. If you'll excuse me, though, I should probably be getting back to my pack. Have a good day, and enjoy the rest of the venison."

He gave another bow and slipped away into the fog, grateful to have found someone who believed in him. He would have to start believing in himself more often now. He smiled as he made his way back towards the Great Bear Wilderness.

Exit Majesty.

Archive here? And let me know if you want another thread :D

Rayder nodded at Majesty's words, though he didn't believe being a tyrant was a bad thing in his own mind. "Alright. But, ya gotta remember, sometimes, as a leader -- only fear will motivate people." That was the last piece of advice he gave about the subject, feeling like he had already repaid his debt in full long before.

He gave a small motion of his head as the wolf bowed to him. It was something he could get used to. Maybe someday he'd have to go the way Majesty did, and make his own pack. But that day seemed far off, currently. "See ya around, pal." And with that, he watched the wolf head back towards his Silvertip Mountain.

The light tan male looked back at the deer, and continued to eat. Soon, he would leave for the Plateau, maybe drag the small leftovers of this kill back if he felt inclined to do so once he had finished having his share of the meal.