Hunger Games | Maxim

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Her stomach grumbled for what seemed like the hundredth time that day...and it wasn't even noon yet. If her mind wasn't playing tricks on her, she'd not eaten anything in over a week. Normally, that wouldn't have been too big of a matter - back in the days of her freedom she'd kept enough fat on ribs for periods of little nourishment. As it was, she had been a little thin to begin with, then it was winter so she was wasting precious energy just keeping warm in this drafty den, and it didn't help that her body was trying to regenerate after the punishment inflicted on her. At least she had managed to keep Nico a secret. It was a small consolation, but one that got her through each frigid night. She shivered, curling herself up into a tighter ball. Her tail was a single, constant ache. Any movement to it caused a sharp pain to lance right the way up her spine. She'd gotten a good look at it a couple of days after the incident, a very definite kink indicating the damaged vertebrae. Namiko had seriously considered trying to right the damage, but since the slightest touch reignited the agony of the injury she decided to leave it be. She wasn't vain enough to worry about having a crooked tail. She hummed gently to herself, eyes closed as she imagined the ocean rolling towards the coast line. It was the one thing that kept her sane in her isolation; wondering at what the ocean was doing at that precise moment and trying to live each breath of the waves. It was soothing to see the little white horses galloping across the cold, salty waters, tossing their heads as they jumped over rocks and pebbles before disappearing into nothingness. The wind moaned lowly around the mouth of her den, and she let her mind alter the lucid dream she was floating in. The waves grew angrier, no longer spilling onto the shore with soft whispers. Now they landed with a guttural growl, barging unceremoniously onto the coast. She could feel their anger against her paws, the pebbles slipping from beneath her grasp as the ocean stole them. She yearned to feel that salty caress, let the cold waters submerge her and wash away each ache and worry in her body.  Her dream self tipped her head upwards, following the path of a seagull - its cry low and plaintive above the wind. How she envied his freedom! Not that the life of a bird was easy; the constant search for food was a tiring existence to be sure. But at least he was free of dominance up in the heavens. Whenever his wings grew tired, he could settle in a tree or simply cruise along the thermals along the coast. She watched him fall into a steep dive, white wings clipped neatly to his body. How gracefully he dipped into the foamy waves, resurfacing with a fish clasped tightly in the sharp beak. Her stomach twinged at the visual, demanding attention. She sighed deeply, opening her eyes and staring glumly out of the entrance. She supposed she could call for Kerberos and beg him for food...and yet her pride wouldn't quite allow that. If he was her master, then he ought to make the effort for looking after her. He'd made it clear enough that he didn't want her dead just yet...so surely the thought would cross his mind. She had resisted thinking about him for the period of her convalescence. Part of her wanted to condemn him for causing her and others such pain. The other part yearned to offer him the acceptance and forgiveness he was neither likely to receive nor accept. Maxim, similarly, she had not thought about. His pure joy in causing her agony, the heated desire in his voice as he begged for the honour of breaking her completely...it nearly shattered her heart. How could one creature be so filled with darkness that joy came only from evil deeds? As much as she wanted to damn him to his fate, she couldn't quite quell the little voice that whispered that he too, had only been a puppet to his upbringing. Was he really supposed to suffer eternal damnation merely because no-one had bothered to show him the path of light? "Speech"

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MAXIM

Obligations were a constant continuation for the gatekeeper, who saw himself still as the second in charge of the coastal pack beneath the one who called himself their king. When he was not tasked with patrolling the borders and assessing for foreign scents, there was always some other kind of task to be done for the alpha. He had done his job in utterly terrifying the female that had dared to run away, who had tried to escape only to find herself called back by the intimidating brute. He had been forbidden from her presence for the following days, allowing her time to heal from her wounds, both mental and physical alike. Forcing her to lay eyes on Max would only reopen those sores, cuts burned into her soul by his gaze alone. She was to be punished, not broken, and the end of her punishment meant the end of her exposure to Max.

There were times that the king had his own tasks to attand to though, and this evening was yet another one of those. The growling voice was still in his ears as he trekked through the snow with two dead rabbits in his jaws, one a far cry fresher than the other one. She was in need of being fed, and Ker did not have the time to arrange it. Leave it to the gatekeeper, the one who was usually charged with beating them down, to have to feed her. The agreement was swift though, it was yet another chance for him to play with her mind, to test her resolve, to get into her head and discover what was so appealing about her that he was somehow lacking in the eyes of the king.

Some distance from the den, he set the two bodies down in the snow, picking up only the one that had spent more time without any life. The corpse of the lapin was absolutely rotten, so much so that as he picked it up in his mouth he could taste an acidic burn in the back of his throat from the horrid secretions of the meat, that itself was littered with holes that played host to maggots and worms, yet he still held it in his mouth, the oily substance sliding down his throat and not causing so much as a reaction as he brought it through the mouth of the den without any hesitation, bringing himself into the space of the female as though he owned it.

Sleeping? Pah. Jaws parted as he stood over her body, and he released the putrid remains onto the ground by her muzzle with a gruesome splat, the ground around it spattered instantly with milky off-white broth while the impact brought some of the writhing creatures to the surface of the flesh, coloured a mix of grey and green emitting a scent simultaneously sour and bitter, and nothing but rancid. Had the sound of his feet not disturbed her sleep, the vile stink of the meat decaying in front of her nose would definitely do the trick.

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The familiar, heavy tread of the gatekeeper started her from her daydreams. He'd been skulking about ever since their first meeting, never coming to visit her...and an unmistakeable presence nonetheless. At first, the sound had scared her. What is Ker was going back on his word? What is Maxim wasn't going to keep his? As the days passed, though, it became evident that the stocky male wasn't going to maul her further. So she kept herself still and quiet, breathing softly. Her eyes were closed as she focused on not being in the cold den with an empty stomach. Then she felt the ground tremble ever so slightly, and she kept her eyes closed for entirely different reasons. If she didn't see him enter, then she could pretend for just a moment longer that he wasn't in her den. A rancid scent clung to him, and her nose wrinkled in disgust. He was probably still coated with the entrails of whichever creature he had last stolen life from. He was standing beside her now, the stench almost overwhelming and she seriously considered moving away. Her decision was made short moments later when something rotten and putrid landed only inches from her muzzle. "Eeuch" she choked, scrambling to her paws and backing hurried away from the wriggling mass of maggots and decayed flesh. The swift motion jarred her tail, and she whimpered softly at the painful reminder of the damage done. Slowly, she forced her gaze to the male disgust written plainly across her features. "To what do I owe the pleasure of such a... gift?" she managed after the silence wore on for too long. As much as Maxim insisted she wasn't to speak, just staring at him didn't seem like a suitable option. Her gaze flickered back to what she managed to attribute to a hare. One that had been killed and kept suitably warm for a number of days, if the scent was anything to go by. Her stomach churned uncomfortably, demanding sustenance that she was urgently required. Surely she wasn't expected to eat that?!? Kerberos was certainly callous when he put his mind to it, but he wouldn't feed her on rotten food! He simply couldn't! Then again, there was the question as to why Maxim was here, and not her king. Of course, Kerberos probably had much more important things to deal with than pesky little captives like herself...But she hadn't seen him ever since punishment day. Maxim had been given orders to leave her be, as far as she was concerned...so why was he here now? Something wasn't making sense, and she stood trapped in the back of her den. There was nothing more that she could do, other than watch the male with anxious eyes and try to decipher whatever was coming for her next. "Speech"

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MAXIM

Beauty was in the eye of the beholder. They were words he had been forced to repeat to himself over and over when trying to decipher what it was that Kerberos had seen in the defiant female he was now obligated to serve. Surely those words had an application in the way of meals. What she evidently found to be revolting must have been delicious to another, but how he could use it to his advantage was the difficult past. Ker would have chastised him if he had brought her a meal that led to some kind of an illness. He had no choice in the long run to offer her the fresher body he had set down outside of the den. Perhaps he would convince her to take just one bite of the rotten hare though. Just for his own amusement.

"This gift is your meal. Perhaps you best not reject it." Scowling at her for daring to recoil, his nose dipped down and he nudged the rancid flesh towards her, leaving an oily smear on the ground as it was shifted closer to her feet. "Your king will not be happy to hear that you've chosen not to eat." Head shook slightly, and he made it sound like he was aware of a plan that she had been left out of. He knew nothing more than her, of course, but he was an expert when it came to playing with the minds of his victims. Lead her to believe that something was happening. Let the seeds of anxiety take root in her mind.

"You have to start eating." Head bobbed, and he allowed himself to sit back on his rear, fixing his gaze on her face with a twisted and devilish little smirk about his mouth, tail sweeping at the ground behind him. "He will not be happy if you're not filled out by the time you come into season." That was what the presumed plan was, at least in the mind of Max. It was the only reason he could come up with for the girl not already being placed under the watch of the rest of the pack. Evidently there were plans for her, whether he was right or not made no difference in his taunting.

"He'd not be pleased at all." His head shook slowly. "We know who's charged with punishment too, no?" He chest pushed out slightly in a show of pride as subtle words pushed a quiet ultimatum into her head. Eat and be claimed by the alpha of their pack, or starve and be forced to suffer the wrath of the gatekeeper. He knew already that the girl was utterly terrified of him, so his nose dipped again, and once more nudged the so-called meat an inch or two closer to her. "You have the power to choose for yourself little wench."

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Her meal. She was actually expected to eat this?!? She was so startled by having the words leave his mouth that she simply gaped at him. This must be some cruel joke - even crows and vultures would think twice about eating something like this! And they really ate just about anything. She didn't try to hide the mixture of shock and disgust that distorted her features. That would have been a waste of effort, even if her display of emotion amused the male. Part of her wished Maxim would not talk, the other half figured that as long as he did talk, worse things would not occur. As such, she remained root to the spot, ears upright to catch whatever venom he was feeding her. He mentioned Kerberos, and her heart sank. So he was here on the alpha's command. It bothered her a little that Kerberos thought her important enough to save, but not important enough to spare time for. It was exceptionally difficult to know where she stood when things ran like that...not to mention, she wasn't gathering any useful information for Nico. Her ears drooped a little at the veiled threat. No, Kerberos would not be impressed to hear that she had disobeyed orders...even if they had been sent to her by the brute sitting in her den. Her heart pounded uncomfortably against her ribcage as the thoughts and corresponding emotions battled for attention in her mind. Obedience and the lack of punishment warred with disgust at the offering. That, coupled with the instinctive knowledge that eating something so rotten was going to make her sick at the very least...and very ill at the worst. Maxim kept talking, and her heart lurched with the meaning hidden between the lines of verse. She didn't want to have pups! Or rather, not yet. Perhaps she was a naive fool, but she wanted her offspring to be born into a world of love and generosity. She wanted them to embrace the light from their first days out into the sunlight. They could not do so here. She had no idea what would happen to them - probably wrenched from her tender ministrations at an age far too young. Then they'd be groomed to be ruthless killers or subservient....whatever they expected the females to do. She didn't dare entertain the thought of what would happen to those deemed too small or inconsequential. There was also the smallest matter of her wanting to have a say in the father of said pups. As much as she thought she might be able to get along with Ker on one of his good days...the thought of him actually mating with her filled her with nerves beyond anxiety. It wasn't as thought she knew how things worked...and the very notion of him getting frustrated with her over such a thing was frankly quite worrisome. "Eating that is going to make me ill" she managed, forcing herself away from the spiral of anxiety-inducing thoughts. "I'm hardly strong enough to survive food poisoning of that magnitude." Perhaps she was bluffing just a little bit, but she figured an admission of her own vulnerability would give her half a plus point. She cast another look at the rotten hare, her stomach growling faintly. Food was food, after all...even if the bitter scent made her tongue curl. All thoughts of food were immediately vanished from her thoughts as the male hinted at other...less pleasurable outcomes. She ducked her head momentarily, terror shining brightly behind the sea-blue eyes. What was a little food-poisoning compared to being beaten bloody and senseless? It was hardly a question that needed posing...and yet the stench of the rotting carcass had her stomach twisting uncomfortably. Hunger or no, maggot-infested prey was definitely far, far down her list of priorities. "Speech"

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MAXIM

There was no surprise in the fact that she was hesitant to eat. Who could blame her when the hare offered up was writhing with maggots that would case a painfully upset stomach? His face remained calm though, watching her as she denied. His words and his threats had already been made clear. The decision - the one that did not even exist - was entirely up to her as to whether she wanted to eat or wanted to starve herself to the point their king would no longer see a need for her. Head shook with her defiance though, pretending he was disappointed with the outcome, he uttered a sigh of frustration as he blinked his eyes to look at the captive female.

"Very well." He nodded slowly as he rose to his feet, backing up a few steps before he turned towards the entrance of the den in which she was held. "I'll be sure to inform our dear Kerberos of your decision." Head turned to look back at her over his broad and bulky shoulders with a devilish little grin on his face. "Perhaps it will mean his rage will be doused by the time he comes to enquire you." She would have been in trouble, if any of this were true. He loved playing games, and he was so damned good at it when he did. He took a few more steps before he stopped again and chuckled, speaking one final time in a last effort to convince her to consume the foul meat presented to her.

"I'll look forward to mounting you when the time comes." His promise was spoken just before he started out of the den, apparently leaving her with the rancid piece of flesh he had offered. Reality was different though, and he stepped back out to where he had buried the fresher hare for her actual feasting. For a long while he just sat, keeping his eyes on the lands in case of any trespassers, when boredom struck, he unearthed the fresh kill, pulling it up in his jaws and shaking it to remove the bulk of the dirt that clung to the flesh.

Stepping back inside, he completely ignored the existence of the female, but rather scented the air, and went in a frantic search of the rotted carcass that he had left behind before departing. Was any of it missing? Had she dared to consume a single bite, or was she stronger willed than he thought? He was almost panting, the new hare in his jaws, wondering what the outcome would have been. Eyes shot to the female with a wide and expectant look. Had he broken her resolve? His tail lashed at the air with anticipation of her reaction. Oh, how angry she would be to see him now if she had forced herself to stomach something as disgusting as what he had given.

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She trembled as he got to his feet, relief coursing through her as he made to step away. Leave me. Please, just leave me she thought desperately, wishing she could get away from the rotting carcass. Her head was feeling fuzzy, and she was feeling very definitely sick. The rancid scent had slipped through her nostrils and coated her tongue, oozing nastiness into her system. She swallowed with great difficulty, holding back the bile that swirled in her gut. She couldn't debase herself to the level of actually being sick in front of him. No matter how she tried to look at him, she simply could not reconcile him with anything good. Even Kerberos had his quiet moments, those in which is seemed almost kind. Times when she had curled up to him and not had to worry about things going wrong. But Maxim? He just exuded darkness from every pore - the way he moved and spoke and looked at her had her nerves jingling uncomfortably. Her head ducked low at the mention of Kerberos. Would he really be so furious with her if she denied this meal? Did her king really expect her to eat food that not even carrion would touch? Indecision warred at her, pulling her this way and that. What if she went to Ker at the nearest time and apologised? Not that she felt she was at fault here - surely there was something more edible somewhere in the pack lands! But she was sensible enough to have learnt that if things went wrong, it was the female's fault until proven otherwise. If she managed the right balance between anxiety at having disappointed him and dismay at the the food offered, coupled with the very real worry that eating something so rotten would get her seriously ill...well, he might forgive her. How she would go about finding Kerberos to inform him of the matter was something entirely different. So far, it had always been him calling her. She had no idea if she was allowed to call him in the same manner. Kept in solitary confinement as she was, she didn't even have someone to ask. She froze at Maxim's parting words laced the air. Oh goodness! No, no, no! Her legs shook like leaves in a autumn gale. The thought was terrifying. Pups she would be able to deal with, even the act of mating would be bearable - but not with Maxim. It had never looked particularly pleasant - at least not for the female. That, and they were forced into a terribly subservient position which meant they couldn't even complain if they tried. Kerberos might be gentle, if she swallowed her pride and didn't give him reason to be angry with her. Maxim? He would make sure each moment was torture. She had yet to put her paw on whether he was always like that...or whether he had taken a particular dislike to her. Whichever it was, she didn't trust him to perform any task without causing distress or pain. He left her in silence, the hare stewing at her paws. Had he gone to tell Kerberos? Panic inflamed her chest and she had half a mind to go rushing out and set things right now. On the other hand, if she just ate the maggot-infested offering and hoped that she didn't get ill, then she'd be displeasing nobody. Cautiously she bent her head towards the decayed flesh. Just a bite or two...enough so that they would believe her when she said she was no longer hungry....But the scent was nauseating, and she simply could not bring herself to touch the carcass. With one frustrated sweep of her paw, she sent the carcass rolling and bouncing towards the mouth of the cave. Then she retched, her flanks heaving as the acidic contents of her empty stomach dribbled onto the floor. No, she would simply have to suffer whichever consequences. She stepped gingerly over the damp patch of stone, finding a corner of the den that wasn't contaminated with sick or rotten flesh. With a deep groan, she lay down, curling herself into a small ball. Damn, she was hungry! "Speech"

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MAXIM

Disappointment was clearly written across his face at the defiance of the female, who had apparently chosen instead to defy him than to cave in to the fear of what might happen. He had no grounds to stand on when it came to what he had threatened her with, but she was not aware of that, unless Kerberos had told her so, in which case it was clear that the girl was already entrenched much deeper into the heart of the alpha than he had first expected. Dismissively, his head shook the thoughts from his mind, and much was the case with any emotion, the frustration morphed into a burning anger, a rage that was already causing the muscles in his jaw to tighten. With some difficulty his head bowed, and his jaw somehow came to pick up the fresher meat he had come to her with.

His head tossed, and his fangs released, the body of the edible hare flying through the air until it landed with a thud at the cowering muzzle of the captured. "Up!" His deep voice boomed, followed instantly by a dark and intense growl that was far more threatening than what he had offered on the day he had broken her tail near in two. She thought he had been angry then? She had no idea. In the presence of the king he knew to do as he was told, but given free reign he was a totally different kind of a monster.

Never had he met someone as defiant as her. Never had he met someone that defied him period, in fact. Not when he had made the same threats, unless as the case was his target had already been abused as such. He was used to having control and the fact she had refused to eat was proof he had lost just a fraction of it. He was sure, given time, she would have caved to her hunger and consumed the toxic flesh of the initially offered meal, but time was not something he had, and he needed her to realise his demands were to be followed in an instant.

"Eat." One word. Surely she could understand a command as simple as that. "Thank your maker that I not climb atop your flanks right now for daring to ignore me." Lips curled in a snarl, and his jaws snapped with a crack. "Whatever our king sees in you escapes me." Head shook, his tail curling as his paws inched closer to the stone on which she lay. "What compels him to waste his energy on dirt like you is a mystery, when he already has a beast magnificent as me."

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It bothered her that Maxim was to be her only company. She couldn't stand the male - he was the complete opposite to her; his morals, his pleasures, his conscience. He made her fur stand on end and her heart beat with erratic little tremors. She knew, deep down, that curling up and wishing herself away wasn't going to change anything. She also knew that she was going to have to eat something by this evening, otherwise things would go terribly downhill for her. She vaguely entertained the idea of finding something herself, before discarding the notion. She'd be hauled back by her broken tail and punished. It was apparently her station to be completely dependent on the males around her. It was a chafing predicament that rubbed her fur the wrong way...but at least she was sensible enough to admit defeat in this quarter. He was in the cave again, his scent masked by the rotting rabbit. But she felt it. His presence was like wintry death, hovering just beyond her reach. She started when something landed on the ground a her paws, a squeak of fear passing from her lips as she scrambled upwards and backwards. She cowered, trembling as her mind hurriedly pieced together what had happened. As blue-grey orbs made out the very much edible carcass of a fresh hare, she straightened cautiously, her breaths steadying and becoming a touch deeper. Maxim's growl did little to ease her terror of the male, and she kept her gaze fixed firmly on the wolf. He seemed angrier now, as though the slightest move on her behalf would set him off into a hissing rage. As much as Kerberos was certain he wouldn't harm her unless ordered to do so...she wasn't convinced. How easy would it be for Maxim to tell their alpha that she had done something terrible and he had punished her before she could escape? She had no hidden hopes of Ker's believing her over Maxim. She crept forwards at his command, tail tucked firmly between her hind legs. The scent of food was intoxicating, and it took all her self-restraint not to fall on the creature like a rabid bear. She tore at the meat hungrily, gaze flickering to the male at regular intervals lest he move suddenly. She couldn't quite muffle the whine of appreciation as she swallowed mouthful after mouthful of the nourishing meat. She kept her ears trained on the beast who was speaking, her mind half-acknowledging his words. Food was much more a pressing concern. Even so, the hare was only so big...and she reduced it to a pile of fur and cracked bones in a matter of minutes. She backed up cautiously, sitting down and licking her lips to savour the last of her meal. She felt content and drowsy on her first mostly-filled stomach in....days. "Can you really blame me for wanting to escape?" She started quietly, forgetting in her moment of contentedness that Maxim rarely expected an answer. "You get to walk about the place, do as you please without so much as a by-your-leave from those around you." Namiko paused, a scowl marring her features for a moment. "And then you expect me to accept the terms of this bondage, when I once walked as free as you?" She snorted derisively. He moved suddenly closer and she froze, fully aware of the back of the cave only steps behind her. "That knowledge escapes me too" she offered, partially in appeasement and partially because she really didn't understand how Kerberos worked. The only reason why he could be interested in her was her independent thought and optimistic outlook on life....and yet he seemed determined to squash that out of her! No, the alpha male was one huge mystery. "Speech"

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