I've been a wreck since you changed

For @Satan when you have time <3 tagging @Arcanis for reference!

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Nyra had, over the past week or so, begrudgingly pitched in with pack efforts. Slave or not, against her will or not, she was a member of Warcrest and she ultimately decided she'd rather do what she could to have a place here than to be miserable about it the entire time.

Getting sick of being inside 24/7, she regurgitated a meal for the tiny boy she'd been given charge over, and set out to hunt. 

Nose to the desert terrain, the Paladin sniffed out an injured deer. How unusual,  she would think, but lucky.

Spotting her quarry heavily favoring a hind leg, Nyra stalked the slowly-starving ungulate for some time. Slowly, she'd get close enough to explode forward, attaching herself to its injured leg and ultimately bringing it with her to the ground. She'd snap the leg the rest of the way and quickly lunge for its neck, where the warmaiden made swift work of finishing the deer off with practiced teeth. 

Nyra would then take a firm grip on the ungulate's neck and begin dragging it back to the Eye. The journey was silent and slow, but she soon saw the rising stone that signaled "home" and picked up her pace, keeping her senses alert as the sun dribbled below the horizon, leaving the sky a deep series of blues and purples and scarlet.
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The man had been awake, just patrolling around his new home, checking scent markers and strengthening those that seemed rather weak. As he was coming back from patrolling, he saw Nyra leaving the cave. Lowering himself to the ground, he would watch her, seeing what she was doing. At first he wondered if she was trying to escape, but it looked like she was getting used to the pack. Good.

Still, he watched her as she went hunting, seeing her bring the creature back to the den. He would wait until she was back inside before walking in, watching her with an amused expression. "I have one question to ask you, answer truthfully." Part of him really didn't expect her to answer truthfully, but he would ask nonetheless. "What do you call home?"

It was a simple question, but her answer to give him what he needed to know, either keeping her where she was currently, or giving her a bit of freedom.

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Nyra watched warily as Satan drew close while she re-entered the underground of the Eye. 
He wanted her to answer a question.

She immediately felt this was a test of some kind, but fine, she'd play his game. Not like she had better things to do...

Dropping the deer carcass in front of her large paws, the Warmaiden gave the question some thought.

"I've never had a real home before. So I guess a place where I could be accepted as myself would be called home. But other than that. I guess this place is my home. The Eye, and therefore Warcrest." She shrugged softly and would wait for the tyrant to respond.
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The man watched her for a moment, humming softly to himself in thought. Though he had expected a slightly different answer, he accepted the one he was given. After a few moments he would speak up, watching her in a rather relaxed way. "Very well, I give you a deal. Though you came into this pack as a slave to the kingdom, I will offer you the role of a normal member of the pack, though with that comes responsibilities. However, you will also gain the freedom to wander as you would like. However, do not take my kindness for something for something that it is not. If I find that you have abused this new freedom, I will strip you of not only the role, but also your ability to move from this cave." 

It was clear he was trying to be nice, though he wasn't that good at it, not really knowing how to talk to someone without threatening them in some way. Though, even through his threat, there was currently no malicious intent in his voice, simply a promise. He would wait there for a moment, seeing if she would take his offer or not. For now, he didn't want to give her any boosts in working ranks, but that was only for now until he saw how she adjusted.

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Nyra's gaze was flat as Satan offered her a deal, followed by a threat. 
She supposed she didn't expect anything more from the bastard, and after a brief moment of contemplation, the Warmaiden would tip her hand in favor of his 'deal'..

"Okay, I'll take your deal." She responded with her usual gruffness and made to pick the deer carcass back up. Glancing to the tyrant king, though it more looked more akin to a glare with how her eyes were, like, always, she'd grumble around the body in her jaws:
"Ya'h wanth th sthure thisth wiff mhe?" (You want to share this with me?)
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The man thought for a moment to himself before nodding, though he seemed to mostly be nodding to himself rather than what she had said. With that done, he started to turn around, figuring that she wanted to be as far away from him as possible. Her last words made him pause for a moment, turning to look at her with a curious expression. He would eat now and question it later. A simply nod would be all that he would offer her before walking towards her, laying himself down near the body that she held. He could have began biting into it, with the excuse that it was his pack therefore all food was his. But, he didn't and instead let her either portion it herself, or offer it to him.

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Nyra didn't know why she invited him to dine with her.
Maybe a small part of her was developing feelings?
NO.
She internally shook the consideration away, instead lightly dropping the deer at equal distance between them both. 
The warmaiden really felt like she was looking at her mirror image every time she saw his damned face. Just, red eyed and pink nosed instead of...what she had. It was sort of prett- STOP IT.
The behemoth grunted softly, a brief noise, before nudging the carcass at him with her nose. 

You first. 

He was the damned King here, after all. 
And; She planned to be his equal, one day. 
Nyra was hellbound for that goal. To claw and kill her way up to the damned fucking top. 

After all, if you can't slay em, lay em.
Or whatever that saying was.
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The woman sure was interesting, giving him mixed signals about how she really felt. Perhaps that was something that he would questions her about later. In all honesty, the only reason he didn't question her about it now was because he didn't feel like fighting with her over the meal. He knew her well enough to know that she could be rather spiteful and he wasn't in the mood for bloodshed right now. The weight of making and leading his new pack was tough, but not something he wasn't willing to do. 

As she let him eat first, he would, reaching out to grip the back end of the creature. He started on one of the back legs, always enjoying that part of his meal the most. However, he kept the front half available for her. He mostly did it as a test, curious to see how close to him she was willing to get and if she was going to eat with him. He didn't mind either way, but pink eyes glanced up at his ate, watching her curiously.

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Nyra watched as Satan took a hind limb, eyeing her with curiosity glinting in pinkish-red eyes.
With a light huff, she herself would tear into the abdomen first, rending flesh with well-practiced teeth and a killer's expertise. 

"I want to travel soon. To learn." She would say after a long time of silence. Her fierce amber gaze leveled to him with blood painted on her muzzle. Didn't she look beautiful, covered in carnage? 
"I want to be as well-rounded as possible. Learn medicine and plants, and spiritualism, alongside combat." She would mutter his direction. 
Her way, more or less, of asking if she could leave soon as long as she returned to him. 
As was the deal, after all. Or so she understood it to be.
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The man was content eating, going through his part of the carcass rather quickly. He ate fast, the blood coating his face and chest. However, the words caught his attention, looking up at her for a moment. He fell silent, thinking about his options. Did he really trust her? Not entirely, but then again, he had no qualms about hunting her down again. He caught her several times already, finding her another time wouldn't be too difficult.

After a few moments, he would finally speak up, his voice gruff. "Fine. But who's going to take care of the children?" He had a simple question and as he finished up his meal, he would stand up, stretching out his body. Walking around her, he would lay himself down about a foot away, not bothering to groom himself as he laid down, ears alert and ready for anything as usual.

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Nyra huffed softly once more as Satan seemed to hesitate, then would...agree?
But with a question. Of fucking course. 

"I could take @Arcanis and the other (@Rei ) with me, if they wanted to come along. Otherwise, unless you want to kill them instead, I suggest Ivory." She answered, voice level and patient. For now at least. 

She had no real attachment to the kids, at least not yet. If ever.
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The man seemed like he didn't care, lounging there without a single care in the world. Or at least that's what it may look like to someone who wasn't paying attention to his body language. In reality though, he was tense, something that he always was. Even as he slept, the man never slept on his side, or in a position other than straight on his stomach in a way he could stand up in a seconds notice. Even now, when he was supposed to be relaxing, he was laying on his stomach, body tense and ready to jump up at any time. Ears were constantly turning and listening, even as he looked over at her. 

"Those children are too young to be out exploring right now. If you take them out in the desert by yourself, they will die. Either another will go with you, or they will stay here to be handled by @Ivory." He watched her for a moment before speaking again. "Where are you trying to go and how long will you be gone?" At first glance, one may think that he was being a possessive asshole, but he was merely being protective of those in his pack and she was one of those that he would protect.

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Nyra ignored the comment of the children. Instead, she would answer his questions.

"I plan to return to the Nestle you took me from. I want to stay there until I learn enough about the trades I listed that I can execute the practices here, on my own." She was honest, and she hoped he knew this. 
​​​​"I imagine it might take a month or more, but most likely, less. I learn quickly." She was sure of this much at least. 
Nyra wanted to be priceless and imperative to keep for Warcrest.
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He continued to listen to her, cocking his head to the side slightly. He didn't particularly like letting her go out, but he wouldn't stop her. After a few moments, he would grunt. "Fine." He said simply, laying his head down on the ground. It seemed that he was rather done with the conversation, though more words seemed to hang between them. However, for now he said nothing, only closing his eyes as he laid his head down.

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Nyra frowned slightly as Satan tipped his hand for her desired timeline.
She didn't expect it at all, really. The... generosity.

She opened her maw to say thank you, but the words caught themselves and tucked into her throat. 
Maybe it was her pride... she didn't know.
So instead of saying anything, the Warqueen would begin to prowl into the depths of the underground, unless Satan stopped her of course.
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