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The days had been peaceful, too peaceful for a lioness used to struggling for survival out in the Roguelands. It was perhaps why she had been so driven to become a Reaver. Complacency was a stifling feeling, and even now the option to settle for just being a Reaver was out of the question. She had greater things to aspire to. The moment she stopped aiming for something more was they day she became unable to recognize herself. That day was far off into the future, and she hoped to never meet it.

The restlessness settled into her bones, stirring her from her den and out into the cold day. Glancing up towards the sky, she could see the dark clouds rolling in from the ocean. The light spray of rain over the Myrsky Syntynyt was familiar, and she had long grown used to the cold settling into her wet fur. A storm was brewing, but that was of little concern to her. In the next couple of days, she would leave the pride's territory for another viking. Hopefully, it would be far more successful than her last. Rounding a few prey beast to replenish the herd was necessary, but hardly glorifying.
With the rain beginning to beat down, it was still somehow too quiet. Daijur hadn't been around to heckle her, and while she loathed being belittled, at least there was a spark of something interesting there to keep her mind from growing dull. He had been gone too long, in her opinion. From what she had heard (not that she would admit to asking about him), he had ventured out on his own. Those who did usually were not gone for long as they did not travel far from the pride's lands.

She had always thought that those who ventured on such short vikings were underwhelming. There was never enough time in just a day to accomplish anything of value. Daijur was gone three times that. If he was going to return, she expected he'd have something valuable to smugly throw in her face.

Torn between wanting him to fail and wanting him to succeed, she decided she was just better off not thinking of him.

Anywhere else and Daijur would have considered the rain upon his homecoming to be a bad omen and yet, here among the Stormlords' chosen, he took it as one might have a rain of petals to welcome warriors. With Tanis, whose name he had all but beaten out of the small, bright and angry fremale, in tow it was a welcome sight to see the cliffs of his new home looming above him. They ventured back into the borders with the bright female walking before him so that he could nudge her any time her steps faltered.

At first she had pushed her luck, trying to sneak away or hide any time she thought she could outwit him, and each time it had earned her punishment. The trekk back had taken longer than he would have wanted but, too, it had given him his first taste of commanding a thrall and, truth be told, the damn thing had done such a great job of annoying him to the point of his not caring so much about her well being anymore. He'd thought enslaving something would have made him feel more guilty but no, his sympathy was pretty dampened by her attitude.

He knew where to find Jupe - he had inquired about her den days before he left and suspected she must be there now, taking shelter from the sheets of rain that had wet his fur and dampened the pelt stretched across his shoulders. Tanis was cold, he could tell, and her fur was slicked so much by the rain that the markings along her side no longer looked as impressive as it had when he'd first noticed it. Luckily, the droplets of cold water had washed away most of the blood matting the side of her head and had eased a bit of the swelling around one eye where he had needed to hit her to make her behave. For a wonder, she still managed to glare at him through it.

"Hey girl," he called as he neared the mouth of the den, popping his head in out of the rain, "I brought you something."

His voice was too familiar, and though she had only heard it a couple of times, she recognized that deep rumble. It seemed as if they very moment she committed to forcing Daijur out of her thoughts, he found a way to thrust himself back into them. The dark lioness was torn between being annoyed at his arrival and being thankful for something to do on this dreary day. Daijur had set himself up perfectly with calling her 'girl'. He knew the way it made her cheeks flush with anger. If it didn't have an effect on her, Daijur wouldn't be calling her by such a demeaning name.

She appeared at the entrance of her den, and was only mildly disturbed that he had managed to find his way to it. The rain would have concealed her scent, no matter how concentrated it was here. Had he asked for her whereabouts? If so, she still couldn't decide whether to be flattered or creeped out.

Sharp blue eyes peered at him in silent questioning for a few seconds before shifting to the lioness behind him. The creature was damnably bright. Amongst the dark backdrop of rain and cloudy skies, she stood out like a sore thumb. Her face was notably swollen - had Daijur found a new lioness to pick on? Jupe's gaze was critical, sizing up the visibly angry female. No, she was no Stormborn. Daijur had likely found himself a plaything out in the Roguelands.
Great.

"Jupe," she reminded him, just in case he forgot, though she knew he hadn't. It would pose as a nice excuse for him to finally start calling her by her god given name. "Come in out of the rain at least before you start bragging about your latest conquest." Oh, she knew it was coming, but she wasn't going to stand at the entrance of her den all night with the rain blowing in relentlessly.

As an afterthought, she glanced back at the lioness. "You might as well bring it in with you so it doesn't try to wander off and get lost." Clearly the lioness was intended to be his thrall, and Jupe made a point of distancing herself from relating the miserable creatures to other lions. She was it, because her identity had been lost the moment Daijur had claimed her.

"It'll be a little cramped, but whatever." The lioness shrugged her shoulders and turned around, leading Daijur back into her den. "If you brought me something, it better be worth my time, Daijur."

At least she had the decency to call him by his name.

Daijur's bloody eyes slid sidelong to the lioness as Jupe forcefully invited the pair inside of her den. Without needing to be told a second time (especially since the look on Daijur's face suggested she would regret it), Tanis stepped forward out of the rain with the faintest look of relief. She was cold and frigid and it had been a terrible, long day. She sat without asking and curled her damp tail around her body, attempting to both retain her body heat and prevent herself from getting the entirety of this lioness' den wet. Who really knew what she might be punished for?

Daijur slid into the den past her and shook himself out just at the entrance, sending a flurry of raindrops splattering around him but, thankfully, none on Jupe herself. It let him step into the den farther without worrying about getting it too wet - not that he would have cared about ruining her space but he didn't particularly like to sit on wet ground himself.

"Jupe," he addressed pointedly, emphasizing it in a way that nearly as annoying as if he'd just called her girl, "this is Tanis. To be honest, I have no need for these Thralls you keep - at least not yet that I've discovered. She's a good hunter and brave enough besides, even if I think she's kind of foolish."

Behind him, Tanis wasn't sure whether or not she should take it as a compliment - it sounded a bit like he was listing her pedegree.

"I thought you might like her?" He glanced back at the bright lioness, then forward to Jupe again expectantly. His demeanor hadn't really changed overmuch from his stoic, cold persona, but there was something.. hopeful at the edges. He did really want her to like the gift.

She had to bite back a retort at the way he spoke her name. The air instead whistled through clenched teeth softly. Even knowing he was just trying to get a reaction out of her, it was hard to swallow the insults she wanted to fling at him. Jupe could be a very angry lioness, but she wasn't about to pick a fight with Daijur in her own den. He was large enough to occupy most of the space - there was no doubt who would win in that fight.

"She is very bright," Jupe answered vaguely. It was unclear whether that was good or bad by her estimation. For a few seconds, she still thought he was setting up himself to brag about his new acquisition. It was what she expected of him. He had never passed up an opportunity before to try and knock her down a few pegs and bring himself up some in the process.

Not for the first time in her life, Jupe was wrong, and the lioness looked visibly startled by the offer. The usual facade of grit and anger was dropped in favor of genuine surprise. What lion went out on a viking and brought back a thrall for someone else? She couldn't fathom why he would gift her such a prize if he disliked her, and up until this point she was fairly certain he did. The signals were so mixed that Jupe had no hopes of untangling them.
The dark lioness turned back to face Daijur then, "Really?" There was no other option really left for her but to take the offer at face value. "Uh, yeah, sure."

Wait, she didn't have to accept, yet her she was eagerly taking the gift that was presented to her. She had no thralls of her own, and they were handy creatures to have around. The yellow and green lioness who laid curled up into herself seemed feisty, a potential handful, but nothing that Jupe could not break and mold into shape. "I'd like her," Jupe finalized, and for a brief moment there was a rather genuine smile gracing her features.

It didn't last long. "She seems like a feisty one. I would appreciate some assistance in... taming her." He was giving her this gift, she figured it was just as well part of his responsibility to help her control it. "Otherwise I might be convinced that you're just pushing more trouble on me," she continued with a little smirk. Was she going to admit how much she appreciated the gift?

No.

Also she was not going to admit that she kind of wanted an excuse to get to know Daijur a little more now.

Daijur hadn't been entirely certain, at first, if she was actually going to say yes - her temperament was unpredictable and she didn't seem to understand why he had come to bother her at all. He couldn't blame her, really. The dark former rogue did not think of himself so much as egotistical as he did simply confident but he knew that the two were easily confused, especially in the face of another bold personality type (which she most certainly was). But with this gift, at last, it seemed she was ready to stop thinking the absolute worst of him.

As her smile broke over her face, a small, pleased one answered it - small but prominent. He seemed to have actually surprised her with his rare act of thoughtfulness and it pleased him a great deal to see her facade alter from that cold, stony exterior that he liked so much. At her request, however, he cast his eyes back at Tanis expectantly.

"Oh, she's going to be fiesty for certain. We've already had a few lessons in obedience, haven't we Tanis?"

The yellow lionesses' muscle went stiff and her jaw clenched so tightly that it spasmed, but she nodded despite it all because she knew absolutely that she did not want him to persuade an answer out of her. They had been down that road many times already for a certainty. Satisfied with her answer, Daijur turned his attention back upon the only female that really mattered in the room.

"But I would be more than happy to help. I'm sure my presence will go a long way with her."

He absolutely would not say no to getting to know the ferocious reaver just a little better, especially now that he had cracked that frigid outer layer.

"Well, they usually aren't any good if they don't have a little backbone." The fiesty thralls were usually hardier, they could handle more and were far more capable. It wasn't like Jupe needed a lot out of Tanis, but having the lioness around would make things easier. A pretty yellow creature to keep her den clean while she was away, and if she got to a point where Jupe could actually trust her, a lovely packmule during vikings. That was a far way off. Jupe suspected that if given the opportunity, Tanis would bolt for it.

She didn't think the creature was brave enough to try and slit her throat, anyways. The only option left for Tanis was to run. In time she would learn that there was no way out of the pride for a thrall. There were no secret paths out, no sympathetic lion to guide her to freedom. She was stuck now with Jupe. While Jupe was not malicious, she was not kind. That was something Tanis would learn shortly.
It was strange now that they were speaking on almost friendly terms. The smile on Daijur's face had not been unpleasant, and he seemed content to accept her request for assistance. She really didn't need it, but the dark lioness found that she just couldn't pass up the opportunity to know a bit more about Daijur. It wasn't like she was throwing herself at him - she was far too stubborn and dignified for that. There was just that itch to learn more of him that she couldn't scratch with just idle chit chat.

"Your methods seemed to have worked already - how did you find her? On my first viking we went after a small herd to replenish the stock we have here. Not all that thrilling compared to how your's must have went." Jupe was a little curious how he had snagged such a find, though she was more curious as to why he had been set on giving Tanis to her. There were more reputable members of the pride that Daijur could have gained favor with. Her favor, however, was not worth much besides a possible tempestuous partnership out in the rogueland

"In all honesty it was a lot of luck," he shrugged and sat without invitation, making himself comfortable and lessening the amount of room that his great, hulking form occupied within her modest den. "I was tracking a pack of hyenas that had her cornered. I daresay they would have killed her so, really, she owes me her life."

The dark make chanced a sidelong glance at Tanis as he said that and noted, as expected, the way she glowered at him. She seemed to think she'd had the situation under control but Daijur knew better. Death or enslavement we're simply the only two options that fate had afforded her - he rather thought she was lucky.

"I killed two of them, I think." Not to mention he had a pretty pelt to hang up for drying and bones enough to make ornaments that would remind him well of his first Viking. It was more sentimental than he was prone to but, he supposed, that was the way of life here - trophies and stories. The sentiment might now have been his cup of tea but the glory certainly was.

"It was a long walk home with all the times she thought she would just sneak away but I suspect if anyone is stubborn and bold enough to tame that fiery will of hers, it's definitely you, Jupe." Though his face was smug, his eyes were alight with mischief. The teasing wouldn't stop no matter how well they got along.

Jupe glanced over to Tanis, smirking when she saw the look of Tanis' 'gratitude'. Between death or enslavement, Tanis had certainly lucked out. It just seemed like the poor creature was too stupd to realize what fortune she had fallen into. Not only was she alive, she was now within Jupe's posession. The bone-marked lioness was a far kinder master than most. If Tanis' had ended up in one of the boy's clutches, well... she probably wouldn't be able to retain the small shreds of dignity she had left.

"Wow, she looks ever so thankful for your intervention," she purred sarcastically. Daijur made himself at home in her den, and for now she let it be. He had brought her a great gift, one she was still convinced came at a price. Daijur had yet to name it, so either he wanted nothing in return, or he wanted to get into her good graces. Both ideas only raised her suspicions further. She didn't quite trust him, but Jupe wanted to.

That thought was a little unsettling. Scowling at the way her mind wandered off on her own, she refocused her attention onto Daijur. "Hyenas aren't as smart as they fashion themselves to be. I'm surprised you didn't kill more." It was a small, subtle jab. Daijur had done well, but he could have done better. The only thing Jupe had on him now was seniority and experience. She'd have to climb further through the ranks to hold her edge against him. She very well would do just that.

The peaceful alliance between the two lions remained mostly in tact. Jupe wasn't getting her tail twisted over Daijur's harmless teasing. But... she did come pretty close. The smile upon her maw was strained, the gesture forced for his pleasure. "I welcome the challenge." She was more than capable of handling Tanis. The lioness was petite, and likely was all bark and no bite.

"It figures the only way you could get a female to follow you home was by beating her." The words were spoken without malice. The dark lioness sat, ears perked up, with the most smug of smiles upon her features. Two could play at this game, and the look on Jupe's face spoke plenty of her intent. She'd relive this 'Hah Hah' moment in her memory for years to come.

True to her nature, Jupe bit back at him with the same fire he had put in his words (and then some). He could have taken the opportunity to find insult, or play at being offended, but it was what he liked in the little spitfire that had unintentionally brought him to the pride he was certain he was meant to be a part of. Pleasantries weren't nearly half so fun as their verbal spare, especially now that she seemed to have finally come around to enjoying it too.

It had been a long time since he felt like he'd belonged anywhere, with anyone, but maybe..

"It seems like maybe I've kept you up past your bedtime, girl," it was a tease as much as anything else, a note about the ferocity in her bite tonight.

He let his thoughts die off in favor of pushing himself back up to stand again, turning so that he could throw a pointed glance at the female sitting none-too-happily just inside the entrance of the den. Content that she wasn't going to attempt anything foolish, he gave Jupe a small dip of his great head and then angled himself toward the storm outside.

"Enjoy your present, let me know when you need my help with her."

Her brows furrowed, nose scrunching up at the name drop. She spared Daijur her ire, however. The lion had earned his right to poke a little fun at her, so long as he expected it to be thrown back at him. Jupe was finally beginning to catch onto the game, and discovered that it was a little fun to play with him. "Uh huh, get going you big a**."

She stood up to usher Daijur out of the mouth of her den before he overstayed his welcome. She had other things to attend to with now, she thought as she glanced back at the bright yellow and green lioness occupying her den. "I'll be sure to notify you if she starts acting up," she agreed with a too-serious nod of her head.

With Daijur gone, she turned back into the den, sharp blue eyes falling down upon her new thrall. "Well, well... what to do with you?" she purred.

Let the training begin.