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 Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 4:01 pm
 "So, what news?" Ruzanski asked Aesir's son after everyone from his band had found a place to bed down and the two prisoners had been secured. A few enthusiastic young lions that Ru didn't recognize had been placed on guard duty, leaving the two captains time to talk in private.
Ru did not mention that he was surprised to see Hroarr out in the rogue lands with so many Stormborn because that much had been obvious when the two bands met. He gathered there was a story of some sort. When he left the pride all those months ago he had not heard that they were considering any expansionist policies, so it seemed unusual to him that there would be anyone inhabiting this outpost.
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 4:33 pm
 After his initial flare of alarm at seeing the group of battle-tried Reavers heading into camp, Hroarr had been pleased to see others of his pride. His heart ached at being cut off, surrounded by as many newcomers as he was those actually from the pride. He and the rest of his warband had been swift to give the other warband a warm welcome. The thralls had been sent off to hunt extra for these weary brothers and sisters of the Stormborn. All the while, Hroarr had been reminding himself of what Ru had been accused of and sent to do, and trying to decide how to approach the inevitable subject of his father's fall.
When they finally had settled everyone, the two Captains came together to talk. Ru seemed casual to some extent, but also keen to know what had caused Hroarr's band to be out in the roguelands in such a manner. The fiery-marked male gazed steadily at the dark male for several moments, weighing the final factors. It was time to share.
"Aesir is no longer the Warlord," he said finally, without inflection. "Last Breyfast, Njal challenged him and won." He was silent for a time, letting that sink in, refusing to add any indication of how he felt about it. "It was honorably won," he admitted then, though it galled him to say so. His expression, however, clearly said that this was not at all the only news to be told. Still, he waited for this news to be absorbed and reacted to first.
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 4:46 pm
Ru blinked hard. The first words from Hroarr's mouth were possibly the last ones he had expected to hear. For a second he wondered if he had misheard. When he was younger words would sometimes become mixed up between speaker and listener, causing him to mishear or misunderstand what had been said to him, but the other captain kept talking, clarifying matters so that there could be no doubt. He appreciated being given a moment to absorb the news.
"I see," was Ru's laconic reply.
The fact that Aesir was no longer the warlord changed...everything. It had been Aesir who had sent him on this quest which everyone knew to be a fool's errand, but for the fact that he had actually completed it. Well, almost. Except for the bit about the pirates, but he had Don and Galning working on that. But if Aesir was no longer leading the pride, was it even necessary for him to fulfill the quest's requirements?
"I imagine that must be somewhat uncomfortable for Aesir's family. Is that why you and your band have come here?"
Because if he had been in Njal's place, Ru would not have wanted Aesir's family out of his sight. There were too many clever, fey lions in that family for it to be safe to have them roaming the rogue lands, getting up to the gods only knew what. Hroarr, for instance, seemed to have a very small army at his back.
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 4:59 pm
Hroarr's expression remained steady, though one ear flicked at the leading question. He solemnly groomed one paw with careful deliberation before setting it down and again meeting Ru's eyes. "No, it is not why we are here," he said slowly, his jaw tensed against biting off the words. He held a great deal of fury at Njal, but it did no good to speak too quickly or too hotly just now. Ru had not exactly been a friend of the family, after all. He was trying to methodically judge how the other captain was taking the news, whether he was likely to take Njal's part in things or not.
"No, the new Warlord banished me," he continued, his jaw bulging with the effort to not growl, not snarl, bu merely to speak the words calmly, "along with everyone of Aesir's blood, right down to every unborn generation to come." His throat closed, and he swallowed thickly, fire burning in his eyes. When he had control once more, he finished relating the situation. "If any stayed, or any returned, they would automatically become thralls." He hooded his eyes a little, the better to withhold his anger and gauge Ru's reaction to this news. Was he for or against the banishment and enslavement of the previous Warlord's family?
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 5:14 pm
Ru's ears flicked as he sensed that there was something particularly important about to be said. Likely his band would be hearing variations on what had happened from members of Hroarr's band, but he preferred to hear it from the captain, who would probably be in a better position to inform him accurately, and would almost certainly be in a better position to tell him what Kazul had been up to since Ru left. Just seeing her brother brought back intense longings he had done his best to lock away since departing because they would serve only to depress and tire him.
"He..." Ru bit off his words before he could spill forth decrying Njal as an idiot. He had not been oblivious to the talk that had gone around since Njal and his family returned to the pride, but he had not paid much attention to it, either. He was too close to Kazul to ever consider siding against her family, particularly when it came to politics which would make him inherently inferior to others of his rank just because he was not a Stormborn by birth.
"That was unnecessary and ill-done of him," he said instead. His next words held more of a growl than he intended, but he was not much bothered by it. Clearly Hroarr was no more pleased by the situation than Ru. Doubtless Kazul's thoughts on the subject were downright murderous. Unborn generations would include the cubs that had been growing in her belly when he left.
"I am certain he will come to regret that act." Despite his growled words, Ru's mouth made one of those wicked grins that heralded violence, and lots of it. Njal was going to regret that act because Ru was going to make him regret it.
"What...Are any of your family here with you?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 9:41 am
Hroarr was satisfied by Ru's reaction. He hadn't been certain what to expect, but Ru's growled words were enough fuel for the fire of Hroarr's anger at Njal that the fire-marked male fluffed his mane and softly rumbled his own growl. For several moments, he had flashes of returning, two warbands wreaking vengeance upon the cruel Warlord and his minions. But the moments were fleeting, and he ended it by shaking his head to clear it of such notions. That was not how the pride worked, and Hroarr had too much honor for the pride's ways to take such drastic and bloody steps. A time would come when Njal would be defeated. Perhaps then... perhaps Hroarr could then go home.
He turned his mind from vengeance to Ru's question. He shook his head again, this time in a deliberate negative. "Ember came with us," he began soberly, "but she had intended to leave to find and check on the others. I had expected her to return, but she has not. As for the others, they scattered after our father was defeated. I don't know where any of them are, even Aesir or my mother." That last pained him deeply, though there was nothing he could do about it. Though he'd told no one, he'd been keeping his eyes out for foliage traveling on its own four paws, every time they'd gone out. He'd not seen her, of course, but he couldn't help searching.
He knew though what Ru wanted most to know. "Kazul was giving birth when Aesir was defeated. With the ultimatum to leave, I was unable to spare time to check on her. Others were with her, so I believe she must have escaped." He had to believe that. He might not exactly have gotten along with his sister much of the time, but he still worried. He certainly knew she would never have accepted being made a thrall!
"And what of you?" he turned the question back towards the dark Captain. "Did you... succeed?" It was moot now, of course, unless Njal chose to uphold Aesir's edict. In Hroarr's opinion that was extremely unlikely, but one never knew. Still, he was curious about Ru's adventures, ears swiveling forward with interest.
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 12:21 pm
Ru had never really given Ember much thought. He knew that Kazul didn't care for her, just as she didn't care for any of her half-sisters, and that was the extent of it. He wasn't even clear on why Kazul disliked them, although if she had to hazard a guess he would have said it probably had something to do with an unwillingness to share attention with them. Nevertheless, he expressed his hope that Ember was well and safe, wherever she was.
"It is my hope that she did so," Ru replied, speaking of Kazul. He had a difficult time imagining her fleeing, but perhaps a litter of cubs would have forced her to follow a more cautious path than usual. He would have liked to know what the cubs looked like, but it seemed that was not information Hroarr had.
With the questions now turned back on him, Ru nodded, his expression wry. He had gone to a great deal of trouble to succeed in a quest that he was certain would mean nothing now, except as a story to tell to augment his own reputation.
"I succeeded, I suppose. I had to be creative. I have decided that the cloud-like markings on the male prisoner's coat will suffice for a piece of the sky, and the female prisoner is actually the pirate king's daughter and her name means 'oceanic jewel' or something to that effect. The god feather your half-brother Odd gave me before we departed and the sea monster's tooth was given to us by another god in exchange for a vow not to eat fish." He offered a weary smile. It had been a very long quest. "As for the ten followers, well, I've managed that, too, by my count."
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 1:17 pm
It wasn't hard for Hroarr to affect an impressed expression as the other captain recounted his accomplishment of Aesir's charge. He himself had no idea how his father would have taken the inventive way Ru had obtained the objects, whether he would have counted them or not... but it seemed rather pointless to speculate at this point. He glanced in the direction of where the prisoners were being kept, though he couldn't see them at this particular moment. His expression turned speculative, wondering what would be done with them now that the quest was null.
However, the question he asked next had less to do with the prisoners and everything to do with the future. He swung his head to gaze intently at the dark male. "What will you do now? Will you return?" The last word was fraught with complicated emotion for Hroarr, though he worked to keep most of it from his voice. He longed to be able to go back himself. He longed to return with a roar and rage. He longed to be surrounded by his beloved pride once more. He longed to be able to raise a family in the safety of the pride's dens. He fought against an irrational resentment that Ru could choose to go home, against the desire to break the pride's codes and take down the current Warlord... against all the more impulsive and irresponsible urges in this delicate situation. Instead, he clamped down on it all and regarded Ru with steady eyes, waiting to hear his plans and offer what assistance he could.
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 3:34 pm
Ru allowed his gaze to follow Hroarr's. Like Aesir's son, he could not see the captives from his present location, but he could guess the direction of Hroarr's thoughts. After all, they had just been speaking of them. As far as Ru was concerned, they could be thralls. They had been captured, after all, and that put them pretty firmly in thrall territory.
"Yes. I will return. I believe I can do more to help your family there than if I remain in the rogue lands, raiding." Besides, someone there might know more about what had befallen Kazul and her cubs. Their cubs? Not knowing that, now that he had learned of Njal's challenge and edict would drive him mad.
His tone conveyed his sorrow that Hroarr could not join him in returning, but he did not say it. There were some things manly Stormborn simply did not say to one another. Instead he offered the closest thing to a promise he could make, expressing his goal in returning. Well, one of them at any rate.
"Njal's edict will not stand. I will see to that."
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Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 2:24 pm
Hroarr regarded Ru with sober thought and careful observation. He didn't fool himself that Ru did any of this for Hroarr's sake... at least, not his alone. His sister played a much bigger role than he himself did in Ru's plans, but that was fine with him. He also privately thought it likely was better that Ru and his band moved on. Though he didn't anticipate any problems, having two leaders in one small space might eventually cause issues. Hroarr spared only a moment's consideration of that before moving on to Ru's promise.
After a moment, he inclined his head deeply. "My family, my band, and I thank you for that eventuality." The sorrow in Ru's voice gave him pause. Perhaps he had been too hasty in discounting the sincerity of Ru's offer to help. Well, not his sincerity exactly, but his reasoning. It was a humbling thought, and an uncomfortable one, that he had been more willing to believe the worst of Ru rather than the better. It seemed he was growing more cynical as he aged, and as life wore on him. He suppressed a sigh, feeling older than his years. "Hopefully it will be sooner than later," he said quietly, without any accusation. He simply was missing home, and longing for the chance to raise a family. It went paw-in-paw with feeling so old. He wanted cubs before he felt too old to keep up with them!
But sight of Isi approaching with a large limp body in the distance snapped him out of his reverie. "Come," he said, rousing himself and clapping a paw to Ru's shoulder, "our meal approaches. Let us go feast and forget our troubles for the night. You must tell us of your adventures!" With a much lighter expression, Hroarr turned towards the gathering area. "I must hear how you came to capture the pirate king's daughter!"
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Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 3:38 pm
"Don't thank me until I've done it," Ru said with a quick smirk.
He was wholly confident that he would be able to do something about this situation. It was just a matter of being clever. Or else waiting until the next breytast vindar and challenging Njal. There wasn't a lot of doubt in Ru's mind that he would win that fight. He was feeling pretty good about himself right now, despite the uncertainties that loomed in the future.
"But I do hope it will be sooner." Ru wasn't really thinking of raising a family, but he had been away from the pride he had made his own for a long time and he missed it. Not just Kazul. He had other friends there who had not joined him on the quest Aesir set him and he had not heard anything of them during his absence either. Also, he was just thoroughly sick of the company he'd been keeping for the past forever and a half. His band was not all that large, after all.
He smirked again at Hroarr's change of subject. "I wasn't actually the one to capture her. Don'zaraasir and Skremmende Galning managed that, if you can believe it. I should probably let them tell you how it was accomplished. Let's go find them."
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