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 Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 7:48 am
 The raid into pirate lands had been a disaster, Ru was forced to conclude, and he was seriously displeased about that. There wasn't anything he could do to change what had happened though, and it had not been a complete disaster - none of his band had been injured, despite the hostility that had driven them from the pirate lands.
In a way, Ru truly regretted that it had not come to violence. It was more the Stormborn way to fight than to retreat, but Ru had to keep in mind that his ultimate goal was to return to the pride with the items Aesir had required of him. That meant that he, at least, had to survive all of this, and there was little honor in a captain surviving when his reavers did not. It spoke poorly of the captain's leadership skills.
The problem was, what to do now? He was reluctant to give up on this prize. He couldn't really. There was no point in returning to the Stormborn without it. But there were other goals he had to achieve, and the band had already been away for a very long time. Nearly a full turn of the seasons. He really wished Vol was here to talk to, but in the older reaver's absence, Ru either had to keep his own counsel or ask another.
"Don," he said softly as the band set up camp. "Walk with me?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 11:00 pm
 Don had settled himself on the fringes of the band's camp, taking it upon himself to keep an eye on their surroundings in case of rogue intrusion, or in the unlikely event that they had been followed by filthy flea-bagged pirates. Don may not have been born into the Stormborn's hate of the other pride, but he'd surely adopted the attitude after that run-in on pirate lands. Maybe next time he'd get to rip his claws into their hide and sink his teeth into their meat. For whatever reason, the pale faced lion was feeling particularly geared towards battle, as these feelings began to make themselves more apparent the longer they stayed away from the Stormborn's lands. His pride. His adopted pride, but a pride no less.
Despite this inner turmoil, the large lion raised his heavy head casually as Ru called for him. Without hesitation he heaved himself onto his paws, stretching and flexing his claws to settle himself. "I'll walk with you", he replied, steady as per usual for the rogue-blooded brute. Don wasn't as stocky as some of his Stormborn brethren, but his size was still considerable and nothing to mock at.
He was curious as to what Ru might want to talk about, or perhaps it was just a patrol. Either way, Don'zaraasir was not in any particular hurry to shake out the details, as was the casual nature of this specific reaver. He'd been a-viking with Ru before, so there was no alarm of nerves or shyness about being approached by his captain, or paranoia about what may come next. He wasn't exactly a seasoned reaver in comparison to some others, but Don at least had a steady head on his shoulders, iron in his blood. Whatever Ru had in mind, Don was content to let him bring it up on his own without prodding.
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 6:27 am
Ru walked in silence beside Don until they were a short distance from the others. He trusted his reavers to be able to keep themselves safe without him. The thought of them being incapable of doing so was ridiculous. When they were out of sight of the band he began to speak:
"I do not intend to give up on this goal, particularly not when we are so close to achieving it, at least geographically." There was a certain ruefulness in his tone which made it evident that he knew they had come nowhere near getting the pirate king's treasure in their actual attempt.
"At the same time, we cannot afford to linger here. I'm going to split the band up. There is an outpost not more than a week or so from here where we can properly rest and regroup, and I mean to send most of the band there. But I have a special assignment for you."
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 8:04 am
The mention of the pirate raid, or what had supposed to have been a raid, left a bitter taste on his tongue. Don was use to getting what he wanted, even before he had joined the Stormborn and become a reaver, he had taken anything he desired from other rogues. He had proven himself strongest, after all, and if they couldn't defend it they had no claim over it. Or so Don had grown up believing.
"That is good." Simple, but effective in conveying his thoughts. No need to carry on when the captain offered other things to mull over. Still, his ears twisted as he listened to what his captain had to say, his frustration quelled for the time being as it was good to hear Ru had not given up on their plans. It was also good none of their band had turned-tail to rejoin the Stormborn, as had been their right to do so whenever they pleased. The fact that they hadn't, at least not yet, was something to be thankful for.
At the mention of a special assignment Don allowed a flicker of a curiosity to color his eyes, in no way deterred at the mention of most of the band being sent to an outpost. Don had lived as a rogue for most of his adult life, and was confident when it came to conducting himself without guidance. "I'm all ears captain, you've certainly piqued my curiosity", without a doubt, Don was more than willing to hear Ru out.
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 8:31 am
One of the things Ru liked about Don was that he didn't waste words. There were a number of especially chatty lions on this quest with him, and sometimes Ru felt like he would never get another moment's peace. Even when they weren't talking to him, they always seemed to be talking.
Ru had also wondered if he would lose members of his band to this failure, but so far it didn't look as though that would happen. If anything, they had gained a member. Not that he was quite willing to trust Kardas very far, and in fact considered him more of a prisoner than a member of the band. He was gratified that no one had left him. Yet.
"I want to send you and Galning back to the pirates, just the two of you, and see if you are more successful with a smaller group." He was still unsure if this would count as him getting the thing, but he was the only one of the band who knew where the outpost was, so he had to lead them there.
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 8:49 am
Ah. Ahahaha. Yes, that was an excellent proposal, and Don's throat rumbled with a quiet growl of approval. "That is most appreciated, Captain. I look forward to this mission." Even if he had to put up with Galning's antics, it did not leave Don much room for pause. The other lion may have been crazy, but Don knew from first-paw experience that the berserker had a great deal of tenacity to back up that bite. A particularly rueful grin pulled back his lips to expose his teeth and he could not help the "It'll be a good day to die", that colored his voice. Not that he intended to, but it was one of his favorites sayings he had learned from his time with the Stormborn, and he took every appropriate opportunity to say it.
Despite the excitement of a promised challenge, Don's mind was still whole-heartedly behind his work. After all, brawn only went so far, and Don had always enjoyed backing up his strength with cunning. "Are we to meet up with the rest of the band at that outpost?" If so, he'd like to know of its location before he and Galning set off on their own. Or perhaps Ru had a different idea of where to meet? Either way, Don's attention settled on the conversation once more. There would be time to plan with Galning once they had separated from the larger group.
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 9:56 am
Ru grinned, a quick flash of wicked delight. Good. He trusted Don. Aside from Voldemaras, Don was absolutely his favorite reaver to go viking with, and since Vol refused to go on a viking that Ru led after his first one, that made Don his favorite raider by default. Ru suspected, however, that he would soon lose Don to a captaincy. The lighter lion deserved it, but Ru would be sorry to lose him.
"Indeed. But I sincerely hope that no one dies." He paused. "At least, no one from our band. Naturally you may kill as many pirates as you like, as long as you accomplish your mission."
He stretched and flexed his claws. He envied Don this mission, to be honest, but sometimes a leader had to delegate. It was one of the hardest things to learn about leadership, but Ru had learned it as a little cub. His mother had known a great deal about what leadership meant. He rarely thought of her, but the memories were there, nevertheless.
"I expect you to meet up with us, yes. I'll leave signs to indicate how to follow us." Don had been on enough vikings that he would know how to read Ru's marks, and it would save Ru having to explain how to get to the outpost, which wasn't something he was sure he could do anyway.
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 6:56 am
Don did like the idea of killing pirates, but his mind was also on the more serious aspect of the mission. He especially considered the consequences of failure, and eventually came to his conclusion. "Rest assured Captain, I will not allow us to return to the band without accomplishing our goal." What would be the point in that? Without the pirate treasure, Ru would remain banished from the Stormborn, and honor dictated that Don fulfill his vow to follow him. True, he was allowed to return at any time, but there was no glory in running away from a challenge. Especially impossible challenges that tested the mettle of any lion, and separated the weak from the strong. To say the least, he was definitely motivated for this mission, for both thrill-seeking purposes, and the seriousness of the situation.
The dull golden lion nodded his head at the mention of following signs, having some experience with this already. If nothing else, he and Galning could do some sloothing with the locals to find out which way the band had gone, but that was a last resort and Don did not like asking nicely more than once. He doubted Galning would either, but he could not be sure of that. Which brought him to a second inquiry, one that had him snort in amusement. "Should I tell Galning yet, or wait until we're ready to depart? I don't see him keeping his mouth shut about this." At least in past experiences, anyway. It all depended on if Ru wanted the rest of the band to know or not, he supposed.
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 7:21 am
"I trust you," he said simply. Ru did not need to be assured of that fact. He trusted Don. But the way Don had phrased it reminded him of something that needed to be said. He'd say it to Galning, too, when he told him about the mission.
"So it's clear, you are in charge for this mission. Galning is to follow your orders. I will leave it to you to tell him about it, but if he expresses any...reluctance to follow your lead, send him to me." There was a somewhat unpleasant twist to the grin that accompanied that last phrase, warning that Galning would not enjoy it if Ru had to deal with him.
"I will leave it up to your discretion when and how you tell him, but I would prefer it if the pair of you set off sooner, rather than later. The pirates will still be on alert, but I do not think it is in their nature to remain that way for long." And Ru was hoping that Galning, for all his flaws, would be able to pass for one of them if need be. He could certainly act the fool.
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 7:56 am
Again Don nodded his head in understanding, the thought of following Galning anywhere was absurd to the level-headed reaver. The things he said sometimes often made Don wonder how he made it this far, but there was no doubt that that lion could fight. He could utilize some of those aspects for this mission, but would need to discuss it with his partner to get a better grasp of things. A plan would be concocted, and then set into execution, and failing all else they'd need to rely on combat skills and survivability in hostile territory. It was clear by his expression that Don's thoughts had wandered deeper into the serious aspects of the mission, and he'd need some time to ponder over what Ru had told him thus far.
He paused his stride to give Ru a small incline of his head, his version of respectful self-dismal from a conversation. He'd need time to deal with Galning, though he wasn't sure if he liked the idea of sending him to Ru for not obeying, but time was of the essence and it would likely provide quicker results. The sooner it got dealt with, the better in regards to mission success. "I'll need some time to consider the details, but we will be leaving soon. Preferably before morning," he relayed, keen eyes leveled and steady. "Do not die in bed Captain Ruzanski, I certainly won't," and a feral grin plastered itself onto his maw with such an expression. He was going back into pirate territory to claim his prize, and he would take no prisoners along the way.
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 8:33 am
Ru returned Don's nod, the action acknowledging what the reaver had told him and his dismissal all at once. Then he watched Don walk away. And that was that.
It was good to have a reaver he could rely on to get things done. Some members of this band, inexperienced as they were, Ru would have had to give step-by-step instructions for how they ought to proceed, and if things didn't go off exactly as Ru anticipated, they would not have been able to improvise. Don was a good planner, of that Ru was certain, and very few people could improvise better than Galning. The pair might not match well, personality-wise, but they would get the job done.
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