Walking beneath the canopy of pines, the Syndicate’s Sultan is sinking in and out of the shadows, staying hidden beneath the celestial veil of a moonless night. Somewhere in the heart of his domain, a solitary doe is calling for her herd, having been left behind after sustaining an injury to her hind leg. Her sorrow beckoned to the predator within Sephiran, pleading for him to indulge in the perverse delight of inflicting pain on the weak.

They did not deserve a place in his domain- they took up space, depleted his resources, and were a nuisance. The mere thought of pillaging made him salivate, drool accumulating in the corners of his jowls to form stings between his fangs. His pace quickened, the primal need to kill driving him forward. The doe wasn’t far off now.

"Sephiran Saxe"

From the sidelines among the shadows, Maelstrom has been stalking. His growing body crouched low to the ground as he slinks after the Sultan. His bright violet eyes have been watching different members of the pack. Learning how they live, how they move, how they survive. The bleating call of the doe draws his attention, a momentary glance from Sephiran to locate the distress. It doesn't take long, but by the time he looks back over, the large purple man is already on the move.

Cursing under his breath, Maelstrom is quick to pick up his pace. Staying one step behind, always watching, constantly taking mental notes, he sees how the Sultan stalks after the doe. Drool pooling in his own mouth as they draw closer and closer to the lone, injured female. Would the male allow him to join? Eagerness prickles under his fur as he creeps closer, his paws staying silent against the pine needle floor.

"Maelstrom"

Somewhere behind him, a small, inexperienced figure was lingering in the wake of his shadow, following his footfall and trying to stay out of his way. Whether or not it was intentional, the Sultan did not care- assumably, this was one of the many new mouths he was forced to feed. He didn’t recognize the scent, meaning it wasn’t one of his spawn- and neither Absinth nor Aresenn’s scents were on the pup either. Elysia came to mind, and Sephiran assumed that this child was one of hers.

Despite their blood ties, Sephiran had no interest in acknowledging the boy. He ignored him, moving through the forest with predatory intent, radiating confidence and building aggression. As he neared a meadow, his pace slowed down into a deliberate saunter, the doe's silhouette appearing in the middle of the clearing. Her body almost blended into the shadows, but Sephiran’s senses were honed in on her, his eyes hyper-fixated on her movements as he watched her, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Sephiran Saxe"

The pup would take the eerie silence radiating from the brutish leader as a yes, he could participate. Instead of jumping with joy and excitement as a pup might, he hones in his own focus. Eyes flicking from the Sultan to the meadow that lay ahead of them. Molded with the trees, grass, and other foliage, an inexperienced pup such as himself might not have seen her at first. If it weren't for the injury to one leg, he would have missed her completely. But with Sephiran's lead, precise and calculated steps taken in the direction of the target, Maelstrom noticed her well enough.

Continuing to stay one beat behind, he can feel his skin twitch with anticipation as the Sultan slows his pace. They were creeping closer and closer to the unsuspecting doe. Maelstrom slowly licks his lips, teeth showing momentarily as he creeps along with the male. His heart raced in his chest, ears pressed forward, every muscle coiled and ready to burst forward. This could be his chance to show his worth... Now all they needed was the doe to stay oblivious.

"Maelstrom"

Crouched into the underbrush, and using the fading lights of the shadows to help conceal his massive frame, Sephiran readies himself to strike. His muscles were taught, claws digging into the soil, pupils expanding within his iris’ to adjust to the bleak lighting.

With his domineering presence and the boy lingering nearby, the air became heavy with a palpable sense of danger- the doe started to pick up on it, her head twisting in all directions as she surveyed her surroundings. She must have caught the gleam of predatory eyes watching her- she knew the presence of a killer. A surge of fear rushed through her, her tail flagged above her hips and she was off- and Sephiran, driven by predatory instinct, erupted from the foliage, leaping after her with a snarl and initiating the chase.

"Sephiran Saxe"

That palpable feeling of danger that emanated from the Sultan nearly ran a sliver of fear through Maelstrom himself. Though he knew and understood it was for the doe before them, he couldn't help but wonder how many wolves the Sultan had turned on as well. His eyes draw from the large male out to the doe where she finally begins to sense that something, no, someone was coming after her.

Taking those moments to adjust to the dim light, get a proper look at her injury and placement, he commits it all to memory. The pure predatory grace of Sephiran seeps into Maelstrom as the older male races out of the brush and across the meadow. A beat later, Maelstrom is following after. His paws slam into the ground, propelling his gangly and growing body as fast as he can to the doe. It's dangerous and he knows that well, but he was willing to take the risk to prove his worth.

As he nears, his breath already heavy and tongue panting loudly, Maelstrom jumps for the doe's ankle. His sharp puppy teeth wrap around her good back ankle as she tries to continue getting away. Her bleating calls of distress slowly turn into gurgles of fear and agony. Maelstrom refuses to let go even as his body thumps into the ground as his paws search to find purchase around her leg and carry him up toward her thigh.

"Maelstrom"

Following in sync, the boy leaps out from his hiding place, mimicking Sephiran’s motions but again, the Sultan ignores him. Racing forward, he catches the doe before she can escape from the clearing, using his larger, heavier body to slam into her, knocking her back several steps.

As she struggles to regain her balance, the boy grabs onto one of her legs, and Sephiran pulls himself onto his hind limbs. He drapes one of his forelimbs across her back, pulling her into his body, creating a whirlwind of limbs and fury as he tries to grapple her injured body to the ground. A primal energy surged through his veins, his senses heightened to a razor-sharp edge as he splayed his jaws and bit down on the back of her head. His saber fangs sank deep, penetrating down to the muscle and drawing blood into his awaiting maw.

"Sephiran Saxe"

Maelstrom's puppy body is only banged against ground and ankle for a few moments before the Sultan is successful in taking the doe. The sound of fangs and teeth slicing through skin and crushing bone enters in his ears. He's suddenly stopped, hanging motionless for a moment as the doe lets out a dying noise of agony before falling to the ground. The pup is quick to release his hold and reel backward, paws stumbling over each other as he stands there breathless.

He can't look away. His eyes are focused on the doe laying before him. Blood and fluids spill from the open wound onto the ground. Her death was quick and nearly painless. Was hunting to be this easy when he is older? After a moment, as his breathing collects and he can pull his tongue back into his mouth, he looks up silently to the Sultan. Maelstrom has no idea what to say to the leader of the pack. One might say he was a little... starstruck.

"Maelstrom"