[FIN]{Matori} A More Passive Approach {Leukos + Sajahka}

[MissMisnomer]

“Hold.”

Leukos held his palm steady, warm air gushing past his splayed fingers as it bellowed forth from the snout of the predator waiting at his feet. The janarim’s claws extracted and retreated, carving little furrows into the dirt as it waited for the next prompt. Its eyes looked up unblinkingly to meet Leukos’, who returned the stare with the same golden intensity. Its haunches twitched. Tail flicked. Still he held it immobile, hand hovering in place while he waited.

A few more seconds…

“Up.”

He raised his palm and the creature stood.

“Atta girl,” he purred, a small grin curling his lips. Crossing his arms behind his back, Leukos took a step backwards, and then another, as the brown and tan beast followed him, watching intently as it always did. As her paw raised quickly to take another step, he clicked his tongue, raising his eyebrows.

“Ah ah, Tazkah?”

The beast grunted in its throat, lowering her paw much more slowly as it squinted up at Leukos, keeping up with his deliberately slow pace. The juvenile janarim was not supposed to get too close, and she knew it; she was just testing him. But Leukos was having none of that, especially not today, when her owner was watching and waiting on the other side of the fence. So he kept that pace, even going so far as to turn his back to her and keep walking, clicking his tongue when he could sense she was trying to push her boundaries or stray off course. Bratty girl.

“Hold.”

She stopped in her tracks and waited as Leukos walked back over, running his fingers along the teal stripe running from her eye, down to her flank. Resting his palm flat, he crouched lower, ready to-

“Run.”

The janarim took off as he did, loping alongside Leukos as they raced across the pen. And when they came to posts jutting up from the dirt, he pushed against her side as they swerved, around and between the obstacles, the creature needing no other instructions as it remembered this familiar activity. And soon enough a long upraised platform was coming up, high enough to be a tripping hazard in the arena. Then it was there and Leukos was running alongside the length-

But there was no janarim anymore.

He stopped, turning around to see where he had lost the beast. Tazkah was standing at the beginning of the runway, looking down at the man made obstacle and pawing it in a bewildered manner. Leukos sighed and hopped up on it, walking back to stand in front of her. He stomped his foot, the solid structure reverberating hollowly, but clearly strong enough to support his weight. And that of a janarim.

“Up,” he said, raising his palm in the same motion as earlier.

But she was not budging, tail twitching as it kicked up dirt behind her. He grunted deeply, taking a few more steps back to give her plenty of space, repeating the gesture with more force.

“Up, Tazkah.”

She grumbled back in return and lowered her eyes to look at the thing beneath his feet with more skepticism...but shifter her weight a tad, toes flexing as he considered maybe it might not be so bad to come up too-

“Step onto it you dull beast!”

Both the janarim and Leukos whipped their heads towards where the shout had come from; none other than the man that had been watching them this whole time with mounting impatience. Tazkah flattened her ears against her skull and hissed, darting away into the depths of the enclosure. Leukos made a less than friendly sound as well, though far less vocal and steeped in disappointment. He gestured over at the creature that was now in the far corner of the pen, pacing grumpily.

“She was about to come up; I had it under control. She just needed another second-”

“She’d had plenty of time to disobey you already,” the man retorted, glowering at Leukos from behind the fence. “Clearly it was not going to listen to you. Not when you stand there waving your silly hand gestures and no fangs to bite with. You should have just used your whip, that would get her disobedient a** going exactly where you want it!”

Leukos scowled, touching the whip coiled at his hip. “I do not use this; its only for self defense. I have told you this before...an animal can be trained using a more passive approach, you just need to predict what they are thinking and respond in ways that they can understand. It’s about establishing yourself as the authority without resorting to brute violence, these things just take time, there’s an order to it all-”

“You’ve wasted enough time already, boy,” the man interrupted, practically spitting the words at Leukos. “If a more capable trainer were handling this, she’d be eating out of the palm of my hand by now. But still that beast refuses to give me the proper respect I deserve: I am its owner!”

Leukos stepped off the walkway, attempting to keep his tone at an even level even as his hackles raised. “Well, Lord Zeshal, perhaps if you had not purchased such a mature mount, there would not be as many issues now. Janarim are extremely intelligent, pack oriented creatures; you should have been working on forming a bond years ago, when she was just an infant. Attempting to train an adolescent taken from the wild is both difficult for the beast and for the trainer.”

He tried to soften his voice, taking a new angle. “Think of how much progress she has made in only three months? When she was brought here, Tazkah would not even allow people near her. But now she’s more patient, accepts groomings, and listens to orders-”

“But does she?!” the other man shouted, slamming a fist on the fence post. “I do not need some ill mannered beast that performs parlor tricks half the time. You have been focussing on all the wrong aspects of her training. It is a beast bred for war, not parading around like a damn housebroken Perzi. How is anyone going to take me seriously with a beast that does not listen to its master? I should have demanded a replacement right from the start, you are clearly not prepared to handle this-”

“Sir, I would implore you not to presume to tell me how to do my job,” Leukos growled, pacing closer to the confrontation. “I have been doing this for years, I have survived every encounter with these beasts that you can even imagine, and I can assure you, you will never have the respect you want if you keep using this attitude to force a relationship that just does not work like that.”

If the lord had feathers, they would be completely turned on end, glaring at Leukos as he held his finger pointed at his face. “Do not dare to ever speak to me in that tone again, boy. Not if you ever want to work another day in this damn place; I can ruin you. And I will, if I do not start seeing results soon.” At that he turned, stalking off towards the main office, no doubt to voice these same thoughts with Leu’s employer.

Leukos glared at his backside, fists containing pent up energy that never could, and never would, receive the release they craved. Not in this world.

Godsdammit.

[1/10]

The Only Black Uke

 

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Sajahka had known for some time that something was askew in the relationship between Leukos and one of their newest clients. He apparently wasn’t a new client, technically speaking, and had a high opinion of Mr. Dullaney’s facility. It was why he came. But, he was one of their higher paying ones with equally high expectations—and very low tolerance for anything less than the impossible, so far as Sajah could discern. This wasn’t unfamiliar.

Still. Though he had no personal role in any of it, and in fact had been specifically forbidden from interaction with the prized beast, along with other labor hands — ‘only trainers were allowed near’ — he had the special privilege of coming home to the results every day and watching the toll they took on Leukos. The client, Lord — Zermoosh, or something — Sajah had personally given him a less flattering hand sign and tended to forget his actual title as a result, had brought in his young janarim, older than most were for the beginning of their training, just shortly before he and Leukos had had their own shift in relationship.

Now, he had the benefit of three months of developing intimacy — and three months of many late days and frustration emitting off of his boyfriend in waves. Though, to Leukos’ credit, he did do a valiant job as ever of not complaining about what bothered him for the most part. And, on the plus side, it did seem — from the snippets Sajah could see of the process — that Leu was making active and even impressive progress with the ornery lady predator.

On this particular day, Sajah’s own work experience had ended on an especially sour note. One of the men who seemed to take the most issue with him for no perceivable reason but for, perhaps, his connection to Leukos and impromptu hiring to the establishment to begin with, had gone out of his way to ruin three hours worth of packing by failing to mention shipment order and the fact that they would need the upper level space until just after Sajah had finished—and thereafter making a vocal complaint when the next round of feed did arrive and insisting to the complaining bystanders that he had warned Sajah.

‘That one is just slow sometimes, we apologize…it will be handled, you can just leave it here.’

Sometimes, Sajah had a distinct urge to see how many teeth he could knock out without breaking his fist. But, that didn’t seem to be the responsible approach to the matter, and in fact, given among other things that Leukos had concerns of his own, it didn’t even seem worth voicing his complaints about. He could manage, and surely anyone paying attention knew better than to think he was deaf or dumb.

Hopefully.

In the meantime, all it meant was a little extra labor, and since Leukos had plenty to keep him occupied himself, Sajah had worked through it during that time, only afterward making his way out to linger at the edges of the training enclosure and watch. Lord Zafoon was here today. Looking predictably cross and dissatisfied as always. Perhaps he wore especially tight and uncomfortable underwear that wedged itself between his arse cheeks and cut off circulation to his genitals. That might explain the expressions he made, anyway.

In any case, Sajah’s attention quickly and readily turned to more pleasant and interesting sights — in this case, Leukos, and the progress he was making with the janarim in training. Evidently, she was still spirited, but it was clear seeing the two of them together that she was warming to him rapidly, testing him here and there but generally ready to show off what she knew. And Sajah supposed he couldn’t blame her for being cautious of the upraised structure. Though she wasn’t a fully grown beast yet, she wasn’t light either, and from her perspective, who was to say it would hold her? Leukos, though, seemed to be managing it, and she seemed on the brink of opting to trust him, when-

Again, perhaps all too predictably, c**k Face interrupted, and Sajahka gave a soft snort from his perch in the shade of the building, glancing to Lord Zershoo with some peculiar combination of amusement and impatient disapproval. On the one hand, the man’s all to familiar entitled nature was almost funny, in a sort of disgusting and detestable way. That attitude may work for you in most things, but it will not win you the approval of an intelligent predator…

Nor, apparently, would it win any favors from Leukos. This was little more surprising, and Sajah found himself shaking his head, eyes trailing after the esteemed client as he flounced off with his panties in a knot to speak, presumably, to Boss Man. Sajah crimped his toes in his boots, and waited until the man was fully out of sight before approaching himself, giving a low whistle to announce himself before signing as he made it close.

«He seemed as charming as ever,» he greeted. And then, as he studied Leukos: «How are you holding up? The girl seems to be coming along well…»  

[MissMisnomer]

Leukos was too busy stewing in his own internal storm to take notice of Sajahka watching in the shade, until his whistle drew him back like a lighthouse. He looked over Saj's way, huffed, and rolled his shoulders.

“I really hate that man,” he seethed, trying to flex the tension out of his fingers. He felt like a crossbow loaded and drawn, with no one around to pull the trigger. It was both uncomfortable and inconvenient.

“She's doing ******** amazing,” Leukos huffed, crossing his arms obstinately. “That animal is too good for him. She's so smart and adaptive…she doesn't just blindly obey, you can tell she's really thinking, trying to understand why you are ordering her to do something without just doing it. If she had just been taken from the wild a couple years earlier, I'm sure she'd already be better trained than half the animals in this place.”

His tone softened as his eyes did, shoulders drooping. “I wish they'd never found her…a proud animal like that deserves to run free with only the gods to call master…and now she's been tainted by our hands. No wonder she doesn't trust people…”

[2/10]  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

“Mm.” Sajah could see the tension in Leukos’ body, and felt he could feel it too, radiating off of him in waves. When they got home, he would have to do something about that. For now, however, there wasn’t much more he could do than listen and watch. «She does seem intelligent,» he agreed, even from what he could make from a distance, there was clear consideration and interplay between her and her trainer when the two of them were on the field.

At Leukos’ latter commentary, Sajah gave a bit of a hum, eyeing the man beside him.

«She may be tainted by his hands, but she seems to trust you…it is a pity that coin can buy you almost anything.» Not everything, certainly. But anyone who made light of how much power there was in money already had more than enough and didn’t understand. While it couldn’t win real love or bring back the dead, it could accomplish almost anything else when enough of it was put to a task. «But she is in the best hands she can be in,» he signed.

For now, at least. And in spite of himself, Sajah felt a frown furrowing at his brow. It was Leukos’ job, he knew, and generally he of all people was used to seeing hard labor go to undeserving benefactors. In this case, though, when all of them were free, thinking individuals, and the situation was closer to home and more personal, involving an animal Leukos was clearing forming a bond with, it was difficult to remain indifferent to the unfairness of it.

Still, though, it was Leukos’ job, which raised the question: «Will she ever obey him? You, certainly, but…» He rolled his shoulders. «If I were her, I would not.» Unless whipped sufficiently, he supposed. And only then waiting for the proper opportunity to rip a throat out. Perhaps he was more used to the life she was headed towards than he had previously thought.  

[MissMisnomer]

Sajah might have been trying to help Leukos cheer up, but it only made him feel worse. It is a pity that coin can buy you almost anything. It hurt to know that no amount of coin Leukos had been able to save up - which was turning out to be a respectable amount, with his well paying job and responsible spending - would ever be enough to solve this problem. The janarim was property now, and in the hands of someone else. The pain of knowing he could ultimately do nothing to save her, despite how hard he tried, brought back the dull ache of dealing with creatures in similar conditions from his childhood.

He walked over to the fence, sighing heavily as the reality of his job became distressingly clear not for the first time in the last few months. “I would like to hope that one day, she may gladly listen to him, and that man will treat her with a firm but gentle hand.” He scoffed, shaking his head. “But I know that is wishful thinking. She will obey him, but only under great duress, and reluctant fear. His whip will take care of that. Or if he can not break her spirit, perhaps she will take care of him first. But that would reflect poorly on my job performance, so as much as I'd love to see that, I can't wish for it wholeheartedly.”

He balled his fist, giving the wooden post a solid punch. “This could all be solved if he would give the process a chance and just listen! You can't expect results overnight, things just don't work that way!” His volume level had risen again, but luckily enough the two had the area to themselves.

[3/10]  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Sajahka watched, but frowned with a contained wince when Leukos punched, reaching and stepping over to set himself between Leu and the structure. «Hurting yourself won’t help anything…» His fingers closed over Leu’s fist, thumbing over abused knuckles gently before drawing it up to kiss and sighing after. It was quite the predicament, though not one that he suspected was as rare as it ought to have been.

Leukos would likely run across such things again, and again, and again the longer he worked here. But, this was the first Sajah had seen with quite so much emotion on Leu’s end. And they were only three months in. Sajah himself of course didn’t have such a connection to the beast itself — while he felt bad for her, she was one of many who would suffer an unfair fate at the hands of a poorly tempered master — but he did care a significant amount about Leukos’ wants, and watching him beat himself up over it was not something he felt comfortable doing while standing back helpless to change anything.

His mind, though, was turning up blanks as to how he could help.

Killing the man seemed a touch extreme.

«I don’t suppose there is anything our boss could do about it, as she is already the man’s property? Or perhaps Lord c**k Face could be convinced to instead purchase a fully trained and grown beast and…» What? Sell Leukos this one? Sajah wasn’t actually sure where Leu’s feelings lie in that regard, but perhaps it simply meant the question needed asking. He glanced up, studying Leu’s face. «If you had it your way, what would happen? Perhaps we can figure out how to get there. Unless you are simply upset at his treatment of her…as I suspect he will not be a kind master to any beast he takes on. If this beast is particular to you, though…»  

[MissMisnomer]

Leukos would have liked to work out more of his frustration against the innocent wooden beam until his knuckles were warm with blood, but it would seem Sajah was having none of that. It was probably for the best that he did stop him: nothing good would be accomplished by Leukos having a ******** up hand. But that at least felt like something he could control, and right now, he was feeling a distinct lack of that.

He sighed raggedly not for the first time today, resting his cheek atop Saj's head and loosely hugging him round the waist. “I do not doubt that Mr. Dullaney dislikes that man almost as much as me. His training strategy is too similar to my own for that not to be the case. Maybe he thought that by accepting this client, he would be able to make sure that the janarim had a pleasant formative learning experience, especially at such an important age. At least if she's here, we can make sure she's not suffering any cruelty…the same could not be said if Dullaney had turned the lord away, and he'd just found someone else to do the job the way he wants it done…”

His hands traveled higher, gripping Sajah and the fabric at his back as his voice got more shaky. “If I had any power in this world, I would make sure that man never held domain over another living creature ever again. If he has a wife, or children, they must fear and hate him even more than me. That kind of arrogant, violent attitude never remains limited to only one outlet: it seeps into every facet of your life. He treats everyone this way, people and beasts alike…and does not give a damn how it affects their lives…”

But now, that telltale warmth was inching dangerously close to overwhelming his face, creeping towards his eyes and clawing for attention. Leukos took a steadying breath, forcing any tears away before they could surface. He was not going to cry, not at work, and especially not for that man. That b*****d did not deserve to win the satisfaction.

[4/10]  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Sajah was glad Leu didn’t object despite however much he evidently had pent up tension and needed some outlet for it. Instead, though, his breath petered out of him and he consented to leaning instead, tucked loosely in Saj’s embrace as he spoke. Admittedly, Sajah had never seen their boss actually work — in the sense of physically training animals — but he supposed it made sense that he did, and likely even that he was especially experienced and skilled at it. It must have been what inspired this facility to begin with, and there was certainly something to respect in that. Not that Sajah needed any more reasons, but it fit neatly into his perception of the man and added detail.

He could feel, though, as Leu’s words ran on shaky ground, his grip tensing at his back, on the verge of far greater upset. Fortunately, though, while there was little he could do this instant, Leukos’ words inspired another thought: perhaps there was something Sajah could do in the longer haul. Because Leu was right, and it was a sentiment he shared. Men like that carried over their attitudes to all aspects of their life.

It was unlikely that this lord was innocent of all crimes, and while perhaps there was nothing he could be stuck with severe enough to affect the outcome of their dealings with him—perhaps there was. It wouldn’t hurt, in any case, just to take a small peek into the man’s affairs to see what a little simple digging turned up.

For now, however, he decided to keep that thought to himself. There was no reason to get Leu’s hopes or concerns up at the moment, and it wasn’t as though Sajah had a fully formulated plan yet. But, his mind was working on it, and with any luck, perhaps he would have something of relevance to present in the coming weeks. For now, though…

He tucked his face, kissing Leu’s chest before giving a light tug at his shirt and leaning back. «You are doing as much as you can, for now. And you are giving her a far kinder experience than she might receive elsewhere. It is clear she responds well to it. c**k Head is simply too blind and foolish to understand it, but there are many men of his ilk in this world, unfortunately. Perhaps his actions will come around to bite him. In the meantime…you are doing what is in your power. Is there anything else that need be done here before we head home?»  

[MissMisnomer]

Dropping his hands away, Leukos pulled back at Sajahka did, rubbing the heel of his palm against his eyes; it looked like some moisture had snuck through his defenses despite his best efforts. But Sajah was right. He was doing everything he could for now. He was doing his job. It was upsetting, and frustrating, but this was the career he had chosen for himself. Meeting men like this was bound to happen eventually. The best he could do was try to give the animals under his care the best experience possible, and hope that he might be able to influence their owners in the meantime. This case might not be a success, but that doesn't mean he was going to stop trying.

He gave Sajah a weak smile, dipping down to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks Love, I think talking helped. But I can't go home just yet; it would be wrong to leave her on that unpleasant note. She needs to be put away for the night.”

His smile gained more warmth, a defiant spark rekindled as he took Saj's hand. “To hell with that b*****d, he's probably going to be bitching in Dullaney’s face forever anyways. I want you to meet her, for real.”

He crossed the training arena, approaching the corner Tazkah had claimed as her area for frustrated prowling. It happened to have more trees planted just beyond the fence than any of the others; perhaps the almost guarded nature of the surroundings made her feel more secure. The janarim was aware of their approach long before they had come close, having been watching the exchange from a distance. Leukos stopped a comfortable distance from the beast, giving her plenty of space.

“Hey baby-girl,” he purred, soft and inviting. “I'm so sorry you had to go through that. You were doing so well, you never got your reward…”

He gave Saj's hand one good squeeze before releasing it, moving instead to open the pouch attached to his hip, pulling out a chunk of meat. Holding it in his palm for her to see, he took a few steps forward, placing it on the dirt halfway between them. He then backed away, standing beside Saj again.

“If you want any more, you'll just have to come over and say hello. I've got plenty, as I'm sure you know.”

The janarim’s attention was immediately on the slab of flesh, tail twitching as it watched him offer it up. And ever so slowly, as if still deciding whether or not it was worth it, she slunk over, scooping it up into her jaws and crunching on the bones inside. Licking her lips, she eyed the pair skeptically, but in the end approached just as cautiously, eyes never straying from staring at Sajahka. She grunted and flicked her head a few paces away, looking up at Leukos.

“Don't worry, he's safe,” he said, balling a hand into a fist and tapping at his own chest as he stated with more oomph. “Come, Tazkah.”

Hunkering low to the ground, she crept closer, making a beeline for Leukos’ side as she rubbed her flank along his leg. And stuck her snout against his bloodied hand, licking off some of the gore and rubbing her cheek along his fingers. Leukos grinned, scratching behind her ear.

“There's my brave girl. Are you feeling better now?” She grumbled in her throat, pushing her skull against his hip. And then looked past him to again stare at Sajahka, lips curling to reveal teeth as she growled.

Leukos bumped her, giving a curled horn a firm tug. “There's no need for that. Do you see me concerned? No, so stop that.”

[5/10]  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Sajahka watched—and then blinked at the offer, a grin almost immediately thereafter pulling at the corner of his lips. Though Tazkah was a new trainee, and a very restricted one at that with a great capacity for dangerousness likely far beyond that of a more solidly trained and older janarim such as the one they’d ridden, he trusted Leukos’ work with her thus far, and had admittedly felt a budding curiosity for her as he had watched Leu’s attachment to her form. He had gotten to observe from a distance, but never approach up close.

Now, he’d get to remedy that.

That it was specifically counter to Lord c**k Head’s wishes was a side bonus, if a particularly satisfying one.

So, when Leukos moved, Sajah followed, eyeing the retreated janarim with curiosity and stopping where Leu did when he did. From there, he simply observed the process, intent on how much was communicated in her body language alone. And when she did slink in towards them, he almost could have laughed to watch her—rubbing up against Leu’s leg and then licking with open affection — and interest in more food, no doubt — like a pup returned to their mother.

The pointed glances toward him were not missed, however, and at the last one, he flashed her a grin.

«I promise I don’t shout,» he signed, and then tipped his head, giving a low, inquiring whistle.

The nice thing about animals, so far as he was concerned — or one of the many nice things — was that any command they learned to respond to was just that: learned. Specific verbal orders meant nothing to them at first but for being a set of random sounds to which the speaker had assigned meaning already, and they didn’t have to be the means of communication, because no animal could vocalize or comprehend words to begin with. Animals in training, like Sajah with most people, were simply attempting to bridge a gap—with even less information than Sajah himself, to be fair.

So, he felt generally at ease with the concept that so long as he was earnest with them — under the proper circumstances, anyway — his most basic intentions or mood would be understood in relevant part. Or, at least have as much chance of being understood as anyone else beginning from square one.  

[MissMisnomer]

Tazkah’s ears flicked up to attention at the whistle, head tipping with obvious curiosity. She still looked skeptical, but her scolding at least removed the hostile edge to her mannerisms. But the new person was of little concern, not when there was a bag of snacks within easy reach. She rubbed her cheek against the pouch, sniffing with open impatience.

Leukos laughed, pushing her face away. “Well we know where your priorities lie. Hold on one second,” he said, clicking his tongue as he pointed at the dirt in front of their feet, all business now. “Move.”

The janarim grumbled, but did as she was told, standing close enough to still be within snatching distance. Leukos clicked his tongue again, raising his eyebrows at her.

If the beast could have rolled her eyes, she would have done it, scooting back to give them more breathing space.

Leukos hummed in approval, pulling another slab of meat out of his pouch. Her eyes followed the movement expectantly…and then Leukos took Saj's hand, placing it in his palm. She squinted.

“If you want this, you're just going to have to deal with it coming from him,” Leukos said, taking a long step away from Sajah. Tazkah glowered up at Saj, growling as she flattened her ears to her skull, taking a threatening step forward. Leukos did nothing to correct her this time, only looking pointedly at Sajah, standing taller and baring his teeth in a silent snarl. And tipped his chin towards the posturing janarim, repeating the facial expression.

[6/10]  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

The janarim seemed curious — if understandably not quite sold on his presence just yet, which was fine. She had her priorities in order, evidently, and Saj snorted with quiet amusement as she nosed for her food. Leukos, though, was going to make her work for it. He watched-

Until Leukos took up his hand, and he blinked, gaze darting first up to Leu with surprise, and then immediately to the only-partially-trained and evidently hungry janarim—who did not, for her part, look entirely pleased with the surprise change in events.

Leukos was leaving him.

Sajah felt a flush crawl up for his cheeks even as an exhilarated patter began in his chest, pulse picking up with some combination of nerves and anticipation.

Tazkah growled at him. He squinted, adrenaline coursing through him as the hairs on the back of his neck prickled with instinctive warning. Leukos demonstrated, and a moment later, Sajah rolled his shoulders back, standing tall as he could manage and arms spreading just the slightest to increase his ‘size’ as his teeth bared. And he growled back. This was his meat. For just a moment, at least.

In retrospect, it might occur to him that if he had misunderstood or miscalculated, he could have lost a very valuable hand, for practically speaking, she had him beat in all physical senses—strength, weight, speed, capacity to injure. But in the moment, hesitation didn’t play into it. This was just a pup, and he was the adult here. If she thought she was getting meat with that attitude, she was wrong.  

[MissMisnomer]

Perhaps springing this task upon Sajah without proper warning might have been foolish on Leukos’ part, but he felt confident that the other man would be up to the task. He'd proven competent around the other predators in the facility, and while this one in particular may be more ornery and spirited than most, she was still the same kind of animal they'd worked with before. Which meant there were certain measures that must be taken to establish the hierarchy of power. And right now, Sajahka was an unknown player at the bottom of the totem pole.

But it looked like he was doing a good job at climbing up it.

As Sajahka growled back at her, Tazkah flinched, clearly surprised by the retort without hesitation. Her whole body twitched back a fraction, and then swiped at the air, bellowing low in her chest. But anyone paying close attention would notice her stance had shifted closer to the ground, claws still sheathed in her paws even as she gestured threateningly.

Things were going well.

Leukos held two of his fingers together and flicked towards the ground with them, stamping his foot lightly as he silently hissed towards Sajahka. He tried to be as subtle as possible, not drawing the attention of the rebellious girl in their midst.

[7/10]  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Sajahka felt a pleased bubble in his chest as the janarim reacted, almost as one might have expected a reaction from an actual janarim’s growl—though it was quickly evident he hadn’t fully convinced her to respect him yet, her paw swiping out on the offense. But without claws. Sajah’s toes crimped in his boots, his heart thudding with excitement, adrenaline—the rush of knowing the stakes were critical despite Leukos’ presence. It wasn’t that long ago that this was a wild cub.

But, she was still a cub.

And she had had three months of — in Saj’s completely unbiased opinion — the best training the facility had to offer.

Given the signal, Sajah’s fingers mimicked Leukos’ claw sign readily, flicking together and sweeping towards the ground in combination with a much more decisive stamp of his boot to the earth that brought him forward a fraction at the same time, advancing that half foot on her. And, fortunately, an animal’s hiss was one he could still mimic easily, his eyes holding locked to the janarim’s as he did it. Yes, I see you, and I know you want this…but if you want it, you’re going to have to work with me.

His shoulders rolled again as he moved back to full height, snorting softly, meat still in hand, eyes on target.

It will all be very simple if you cooperate.  

[MissMisnomer]

Tazkah was finding this new person to be more than she had bargained for, plenty of fight stored in that tiny frame. He wasn't being pushed around so easily, not like so many others of his kind. She backed away when Sajahka advanced, ears flattening and moaning plaintively. But she recognized that motion he did with his paw, even if it did not come with the usual sound the tall one she'd come to recognize as alpha used alongside it. He got upset with her if she did not listen. This one probably would too.

So with one last frustrated shake of her head, Tazkah lowered her belly to the ground, tail still actively twitching as she rested her chin on her paws. She grunted in a sound close to a sigh, puffing up dirt with the blast of warm air.

Leukos smiled, feeling some secondhand pride at Saj's victory. Tension he did not actively notice before left his shoulders with one swift exhale, gesturing to the downed beast.

“You can give that to her now; try keeping it in your hand and make her reach for it a bit. Don't just place it on the ground, like an offering: she's lucky that you are sharing it. You could have kept it for yourself after all; that's a fine cut, it's your kill.”

He huffed amusedly, eyeing the meat. “But I would not recommend it: raw just isn't the same. Take it from someone who's had to make a point with her before.” He could still taste the hot iron on his tongue when he thought about it, which he tried to avoid while eating. It would just ruin the meal.

[8/10]