Darkest Jewel (Eclipse)

[Eclipse]

OOC: xD That just proves what things like FoL, and friends, will do to you, sicko xD

Maya motioned for the group to encircle the elk, and was about to signal a few faes to go in and cut the group in half, then in half again, slowly making it smaller and smaller, until only the bull remained, his herd having abandoned him. As her tail flicked, the faes moved in, and a vicious howl erupted upon the air, echoing and thundering. The bull lifted his head in pure shock, and took off, rounding up the cows before him. Within seconds, they were gone, two brutes and a few faes streaking after them in desperation. This was needed food for the pack. If they didn't get something big, and soon, something such as that bull, the pack would fall apart into a chaotic mess of fights and starvation! They couldn't afford to lose it. With a sharp howl, Maya ordered the others to follow the elk as well. They had the energy to chase them, maybe they would hit a lucky streak, and would manage to kill the bull, or at least a cow or two. That would be enough to feed them for a day or two at least. Anything to feed the pack for at least one day, to gather strength for a second hunt.

Before she took off to follow them, she looked to the source, and saw the two wrestling masses of fur, blood, and fangs. One oddly colored patch, and one muddy brown patch. Chaos, and one of the brutes she'd noticed staring with hunger and jealousy whenever she and Chaos showed affection to each other. Her mate looked up at her once, his eyes meeting her's, a fierce hatred burning in them. Then the light died slightly as her own gaze was cold and unforgiving. He had ruined their amazing chance to start healing their pack. It was their duty to heal it, as they had saved it, and now he was further wrecking them. They would talk about this later, her eyes said that clearly.

Then, with a short howl, she and the majority of the remaining brutes took off, a second wave following the faes who were trying to tire the elk by chasing them. A few brutes remained behind, still watching the fight, that she had left him to fight. If he was going to start fights, he was going to have to fight them. After they chased these elk, and either caught one, or decided to give up, she would come back and check on his state. Save him if he needed it, or start her demanding questions on as to what he had been thinking, starting a fight just then. For now, food was all that mattered, then her mate and the mess he had brought himself into...

[Redclaws]

Chaos stared in disbelief as Maya snorted at him and ran off in the opposite direction. "Maya! Wait! We need to talk! I can explain!" She turned to him, eyes ablaze "We will talk when I say we need to talk, and right now, you have more important matters to attend to." She raced after the faes. The brutes were now teasing him about her little talk. "Ooh, big strong alpha has to take orders from his sexy mate." "She can order me around any day!" "I'd order her around if it were me! I'd get exactly what I wanted from that!" Chaos leaped at the largest. "Dont you DARE talk about my mate that way! DIE TRAITOR!" Chaos plunged his teeth into the brute's neck, not enough to kill him, but enough to scare him. However the brute was a little too scared. He threw Chaos off with his back paws. Chaos hit the ground with a "Thud" and slumped over himself with his hindpaws over his head. He was knocked out. The last thing he remembered was the brutes running after Maya, shouting all kinds of vulgar things as they ran. Chaos tried to get up, but fell. How great. He blacked out.

He awoke quite a few hours later. The sun was already setting and he was crazy hungry. He stood up, then crashed back down. He had a monster headache. Stupid brute! He thought. He vowed to get his revenge then slowly crawled towards the caves.

Three hours later, well after dark, the cave came into view. He found the strength to stand up, walk into the Thumpa cave, and collapse, awaiting Maya's harsh words with no anticipation whatsoever.

[Eclipse]

Maya was too far away to hear the brutes' vulgar shouts and teasings, and even if she could have been close enough, she was focused on her task...

* * *

They had hit a lucky break when the bull had seeked refuge in a valley, and had been disappointed by the rock cliff that rose above him, towering too high and steep to climb, and too wide to circle around in time. They had cut him away, and taken down him and a cow that refused to leave his side. Then, with strict orders and snarls from Maya to not touch the precious food, they had teamed up and carried the prey back. The pack of brutes told Maya she had worked hard, and deserved a break, and midst flirty grins and rude comments about her body that they were trying, not very hard, to hide, they carried her load for her. She rolled her eyes, and led the group back to the camp. Once there, she patrolled the two kills, watching as a few selected wolves served up portions to everyone, and finally, she took the last two portions herself. She dragged them to the cave, and there she found Chaos.

He must have snuck in while everyone was fighting over scraps, and talking loudly, with good food, and healing bodies. The white fae from the cage had gone around and checked everyone's wounds, and Vixen had followed Maya, instinctively taking up her position as second in command. Maya appreciated the help very much so.

He seemed to have no apparent wounds, which surprised her, except for a few scrapes and chunks of missing fur. The top of his head looked a little sore, and bruised, but otherwise he was fine.

She dropped his chunk of meat, the bull's flank, one of the best parts, in front of his nose. It hit his nose as it fell, and she apologized, though she didn't look sorry. Her own piece was a leg, one of the pieces with very little meat on it, but good bones, and tasty hooves. She sat down a few feet away, took a bite, swallowed, and in a stern voice, ordered him to explain. "Please tell me what the hell that was about."

[Redclaws]

Chaos looked up. He pounded a paw on the stone floor of their cave. "That's the thanks I get for defending your honor? Those stupid brutes were making fun of me and asking about what sex with you was like. They said they stared at you and looked nice. I couldn't take it anymore. You're my mate! They can't talk about you that way!" He then grew quiet. "Maya... do I please you? I mean, do you still love me?"


OOC: Sorry about my shortness tonight, but this is all I can think of

[Eclipse]

"Protecting my honor? If trying to kill a brute and very nearly ruining our chance to heal the pack that has been placed into our paws to save is what you call protecting my honor, you may want to rethink your beliefs. And I can protect my own honor, thank you very much." She snapped, eyes dancing. When she was angry or upset, like at this moment, her unusual size for a fae was made all the more obvious. She seemed to fill their cave at the moment.

He grew quite suddenly, eyes changing from furious and hurt to soft and worried. "Maya... do I please you? I mean, do you still love me?" She flicked her ears with disbelief. "Of course I still love you. Don't be stupid!" She snapped, irritation scrawled across her face. How could he not know the answer to such a question? He had saved her from loneliness in the cold mountains, brought her friendship and first love, and taught her how to control her anger. He had helped her gain revenge upon the murderers of her mother, and rapists of all faes, and still he doubted her love? She couldn't stand his stupidity at this moment! She turned her back to him, soft growls of frustration rolling from her chest, and tore open the leg, crushing bones between her jaws, tearing flesh between her fangs, and breaking the bonds between bone and muscle as easily as breathing.

[Redclaws]

Chaos started whining. "Maya... You know I didn't mean it that way... It's just... I'm not used to faes getting mad at me all the time, especially one who's my mate." He cautiously approached her. When she was like this, anything was possible. "Please Maya... Don't be mad at me... I just didn't like hearing them talk about you like that. And then I realized that they could... you know... "please" you more than I could if they were given the chance, and I just was worried th-" He suddenly realized what he'd said. 'If they were given the chance' is what screwed him over. There went all of his chances of recovery out the window. He saw her turn around, eyes red as all Hell, ready to unleash their inferno on him. "Maya... I'm really sorry... I didn't mean it that way... Just please... For once..." Suddenly, all of the pieces fit together. Why was she mad at him? He should be mad at her! She was the one being unreasonable. He decided to stand up for himself, and teach Maya a lesson in temper control. "I JUST WISH FOR ONCE YOU'D ACT LIKE YOU LOVED ME! I've been working my tail off to save these wolves from YOUR old pack and help YOU get revenge! And this whole, create our own pack thing. This isn't for me at all. It's for you too! It's all about you in your world isn't it? You know what, maybe instead of asking, do you love me, maybe I should ask, is it worth loving you?" Quite pleased with himself, Chaos sat down. No longer afraid of her. He'd won. There was no way she could come back from that.

[Eclipse]

Maya felt a mild surprise at his sudden rage, then a hint of pride. Finally. He was growing a backbone. She was tired of always winning their fights because she was bigger, or louder, or meaner, or whatever. It was time the fights became fights, not one sided commands. He looked pleased with himself as well, and she could guess why. He didn't expect her to be able to come up with a response to his accusations. "I act like I love you everyday. Every time I turn down the gazes and gestures of the stupid brutes who thing sex is everything, I am proving that I love you. Maybe they could please me more sexually, but mentally they are nothing. I would still be there on that frostbitten mountain, gathering my courage to go and face those who had ripped my everything from me in such a short time. The only creatures who ever had enough effect to make me submissive, or fearful, or obeying. And you helped me defeat them. No other brute or fae could do that for me, not even those who are out there, probably discussing how we are screwing each other right now, or how big I am, and I don't mean in muscle, or whatever it is that entertains them. How can I prove you any more then I already have?" She demanded, voice soft and tipped with frost.

"And as for that. You've been working *your* tail off for them? What about me? I chased down that stupid elk after you scared it away. I organized the patrols, the grouse and rodent hunts, and tomorrow, who will organize the hunt for deer? Not *you*. I told you in the very beginning, back in that da-- forest that this would be difficult. I also told you to go away, so that I could do my journey and job, and you would still be safe, alone, and happy in that lust filled hell. You would be in a den right now, but not fighting. You would have pleasure in your life. Easy pleasure. The pleasure the weak accept."

On his next comment, she just about blew up. "Oh, it's all about me? All about me saving these faes that were going through the torture I went through! Who were raped, not by one brute, not by two, not even by three. They were raped daily by the majority of that pack. I didn't tell you all that went on in that pack! I was trying to preserve you! They would force a fae or two to lie between three or four of them, passing them around and sharing the 'goods'. They broke those animals' spirits, bodies, hearts, souls, minds. They wrought such damage, scars will lay upon them forever!"

"You decide if I am worth loving, and I will decide why the hell my 'mate' can't figure out why this is so important to me! Why he can't support me in the biggest, most important decision I've made in my life! And when you know, tell me, if you can find me!" With that she stormed out, and headed through the crowds of wolves feasting and chattering. She was followed by curious glances from the faes, and pleased/sexual/flirty ones from the brutes. Ignoring them all, she sat down beneath a tree in the dark, off to the edge of things, and ate her meat, then closed her eyes and thought. She listened to the wolves around them, and thought about all that she'd have to do to heal them, with or without Chaos' help.

[Redclaws]

Chaos sat there stunned as she stormed out. Wow... what a dumbasket he was... Of course Maya didn't do all that for herself! She wasn't that selfish! What was he doing? Being mean wasn't the way to go about this. He went out to follow her.

Upon asking a few faes and following a few scents, he finally found her sitting under a tall, dark tree. He took a deep breath and walked over to her. Sitting next to her. They said nothing for a little, and the only noise was the crunching and snapping of bones as Maya ate. After a bit, Chaos spoke. "Maya. I'm really sorry for what I said. I know you're not selfish. I love you. You're the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me. When those brutes were saying those things, I felt threatened. I felt like they had the power to take from me what I'd worked so hard to get. I lost control. And then in the Thumpa Thumpa cave... Well, I guess we cant call it that anymore. I guess I was just upset because what I was doing I was doing for you. At least I thought it was. Well tomorrow, I'm going to start pulling my weight around here. I want you to get a nice long nap in the Thu- uh... our cave, and I'll take care of everything that needs to be taken care of." He saw her start to protest but he put his tail over her mouth. "I know what needs to be done, and if I have a question I'll ask. But you have been working way too hard Maya. You need to rest. That's an order. I, as your mate, am granting you a week of free relaxation while I turn this bunch of rogues into a thriving pack. You'll see! Please take me up on this, Maya... I don't want us to be fighting... I'd rather be dying than fighting with you. I love you with all I am, all I was, and all I'll ever be. Come back home with me and I'll show you to your throne room my queen." He kissed her forehead and waited to see what she'd do.

[Eclipse]

If she hadn't been so angry at him, his name for the cave, the Thumpa Thumpa Cave, would have made her laugh. She hadn't known he'd named it. But as it was, the fury still pounded through her veins, directed at him, and it was all she could do not to want to hurt him right then and there. Teach him who was being selfish and stupid!

Then, what he was saying started to come through to her. He was apologizing, and made an offer that sounded good, yet she couldn't accept! She needed to keep helping her faes! "I-I really ca----" Her protest was cut off by his tail over her maw. It did sound good. And it was only a week, what could be so bad about that? He'd even promised to come to her if he found any issues in their daily life and healing. "Well, I guess the offer is tempting." She half smiled, anger ebbing away slowly, but steadily. She kissed him back, on the cheek. "I love you," She murmured, and followed him as he 'led his queen to her throne room'. That notion almost did make her laugh, but she hid it in a cough.

OOC: Shorter. I wasn't sure what else to post lol

[Redclaws]

Chaos heard her cough and turned to her. "See, you're tiring yourself out. Just let me handle everything, this week, it really IS all about you. Sorry for acusing you of that by the way, I really didn't mean it." He led her back to their cave, weaving between faes, dodging them this way and that as they all huddled around them. "Where's our food?" "We're hungry!" "We were better off with the pack!" Chaos led Maya inside and kissed her, giving her a sad puppy look when she didn't return it. But that would have to be dealt with later. Right now, he had a pack to feed!

He stepped back out into the broad daylight, and stood over the mouth of their cave so that everyone could see and hear him. "Members of our clan!" He yelled. "Maya isn't feeling the greatest, so she's having a rest for the week." Murmurs of panic and confusion spread through the faes, they were unsure what to do without Maya. "Henceforth, I am your new alpha for the week. I will try to treat you all like Maya has treated you, and I promise that none of you will be hungry at the day's end! Who's up for hunting?!" A bunch of the faes instantly jumped up. Chaos wasn't surprised. Despite his weird coloring, he was conisdered quite handsome and he had muscles to boot. The males, on the other hand, gave each other sly looks and a few of them slowly walked forward to show that they'd go too. "Great! Chaos shouted! Let's go catch some buffalo!" Chaos had no clue if there were any buffalo within three countries, but all he knew was that they needed encouragement. With a loud battle howl, they stormed off across the plains that led to the forest.