Pride discussion

((Sorry this took so long, I'm at work lol))

Maxen walked out by the stream, skipping stones as he went. He had just got done trying some of the newer Warriors, they needed a lot of work. He sighed, they needed to be on their game if they were going to be able to stand up against the Broken Shadows Pride. He wondered how the Guardians were fairing... hopefully better than the Warriors that was for sure.

(( oh it's fine! I thought you were busy anyway))

Verity had decided to skip out on her guardian duties today, I mean practising everyday was entirely fine for her, but she practised for almost five hours a day, if not more, a girl needs a breaks very now and then, if she was going to get her knuckles wrapped she wanted to at least deserved it. She'd taken to prowling around in her feline form, she felt more at ease this way, less vulnerable. She wasn't that far off the stream, perhaps if it still stayed warmish she could take a quick dip? She phasing effortlessly, grabbing the underwear she left out here, carrying her shorts and shirt as she walked out from the trees that surrounded the stream, a scent hitting her senses.

((I've never heard of that one...have you ever heard of Tom the Toad?))

Maxen's gaze shot up from the stream as he smelt a scent he didn't recognize, he took a deep breath...it was a Prowlin Moon. He calm down instantly, though he didn't know the scent, it was still a Pridemate and he trusted his Pride. He looked around trying to match a person with the scent, his eyes locked on to a female a few yards away from him. Judging by the power that surrounded her, she was a Guardian, one who was skipping training too.

((Never heard of it!))

Verity continued forward, the scent of the other quite present, but she didn't fear it, one she was a guardian she knew how to defend herself if trouble came to pass, and the owner of this whiff was a prowler like herself.
She ignored them, they were no interest to her. Soon enough she found herself wadding in the waters, the heat that radiated from the sun was surprisingly warm.

Maxen arched a brow at the blatant disregard the Guardian was unknowingly showing him, unless it was on purpose. Which would make it all the worse, since in a way he was acting alpha. Well, correction used to be acting alpha. Striker was now back after four years of being in Rome, with their little sister Tempest who had been there for six. He resented the fact that Striker had come back at all, as petty as that sounded. But he had left, abandoned his Pride, and now he just returns out of the blue? It made Maxen's blood boil.

Verity was only wadding in the waters, cooling off her heated skin, she gave out a contented sigh as she did so, it was unusual for her to be so grateful for the water, she never truly enjoyed swimming, she put it down to the cat water thing, but then again, she wasn't a housecat, she was a larger one which tended to enjoy water, odd.

She attempted to ignore the...Warrior? Yes, warrior. Though she did find it somewhat difficult with his scent riding down towards her on the wind along with his waves of anger, though she didn't believe they were truly aimed at her.

"Deep breaths Tiger," she chuckled, her voice carrying surprisingly well on the winds, reaching the warriors without too much fuss.

Maxen snorted as she called him a tiger, though calling him something with stripes was better than calling him something with spots. The mark of their enemy. He turned his chilly gaze to her, howbeit, it warmed considerably once he made eye contact. "Sorry, I was...lost in my thoughts. Shouldn't you be attending your Guardian training?" At his last question he arched a brow, honestly he didn't care, he was just pleased that she had conversed with him. Rather than continuing to ignore him, which oddly, he hated.

"So I noticed," she responded with a smile, moving to escape the waters of the stream, the chilled water had cooled her skin and with the soft breeze that was around it was somewhat nippy against her skin.
"I should, but I'll make up for it ten times over by myself," she admitted to him, Verity tended to train alone, though she knew they were expected to train as a unit she thought it was better to hone her own skills primarily.

"But then shouldn't you be with the Hunters?" She asked as she climbed out the water, dragging her shirt on, she struggled slightly due to the fact she was still wet to the material clung.

"Training as a group is instrumental to how you function as a group in real combat. Regardless of whether or not you train harder alone, your peers will not know what you are fully capable of...so in actuality, it hinders you." Maxen mused, as he replied to her statement. At her next question howbeit, he arched a masculine brow. Was it truly possible that she had no clue who he was? Strange. "No. I'm not a hunter...I'm the Lead Warrior." Which was the more common title for his Delta rank, also meaning that he should report her to the Lead Guardian...but he wouldn't. "I ended our training session about an hour ago, I tend to hold practices earlier than yours are."

"Hunter, warrior same thing," she said, waving her hand absently to make it look like she didn't care about her mistake.
"To be truthful, half of them are too dependant together, it's like watching a herd of sheep, you've got to give them groups, lot three go left, level two right," she sighed, rolling her eyes at their training scheme.

"I suppose I should introduce myself, I'm Verity," she introduced herself in a off hand fashion, her tone bored as if it wasn't entirely important.
((Idiot that I am, I knew he was a warrior..))

"That's like comparing a Guarding to a Patroller." Maxen mumbled slightly annoyed, but he brushed it off. Well then maybe the Lead Guardian should re-think their training methods. That's not how I train my Warriors." He mused thoughtfully, maybe he should sit in on a Guardian training session.
If they were lacking in their training it would affect the whole Pride, that wasn't acceptable.

"I said I'm Verity," she sighed, giving him a pointed look for him to fill her in on his name, she didn't usually leave it this long for introductions, but she thought better late than never.

"Also, some patrollers are fast, quite a useful skill in combat," she pointed out to him, knowing that she had a point, it's not as if you'd give a slow-coach guardian position, they wouldn't be able to dodge or get a hit in.

"I suppose, but Warriors and Guardians are trained to do that stuff not patrollers. They are meant merely to act as a first line of defense through early detection." Maxen replied distractedly, he was busy thinking over her comment, perhaps he needed to look more closely at the patrollers. There could be some worthy recruits among them.
"Oh I'm Maxen," He replied quickly, noticing her sharp look for the first time, "It's nice to meet you Verity."

"True," she accepted, moving to sit not so far from him on the group, knotting her slender fingers in the grass tugging on the occasional blade, a trait seen in many children.
"Oh it does have a name," she teased, glancing up at this Maxen to cast him a playful grin, a rare sight but she was in a odd mood today, so she didn't see why not.
"I'm sure the pleasures of mine, maybe,"

"Yes, it does have a name..." Maxen playfully rolled his eyes at her as he responded to her teasing. "The pleasure is all yours, kind maiden, I'm quite the hot commodity I assure you." He tried to keep his face blank, serious if you will, but judging by the laughter that he released seconds later he failed. Utterly.

Verity raised a single delicately shaped eyebrow, her lips tilted in a slant as she attempted to conceal her smirk, not very well to be truthful.
"Oh my god, Maxen!" She gasped in a mocking fashion, covering her hands over her mouth, her eyes widened as if she were alarmed, "You're head, it's growing!" She smirked, uncovering her mouth to reveal a playful smirk.

Maxen burst into laughter at her words, he was sure she hadn't meant it as it sounded but regardless he was a male. His mind was rather dirty.
"It does seem to grow sometimes..." He couldn't help it when he teased back, besides he knew that she would have done the same to him.
He returned her playful smirk with a sexy side smile, starting to feel a bit guilty about his thoughts, "Sorry..."

Verity paused as Maxen suddenly started laughing but it wasn't until he spoke again she knew instantly what he was getting at, which resulted in Verity chuckled along with him, sobering up for a moment to speak.
"That's what they all say Tiger," she said coolly, totally ignoring his apology, she saw no need for it.

Maxen was glad that she just laughed along with him instead off freaking out like most girls would have. He like that about her, she was a breath of fresh air compared to the way that his life had been going here lately. "I've always been the put your money where your mouth is kind of guy." He shrugged as he wiggled his brows at her, chuckling as he did so.

"So, would you say you're a gambler?" She asked, she knew that wasn't what he was getting at but she alway liked the idea of someone who live life hard and fast, though gambling wasn't exactly that it was definitely being slight irresponsible, something she was likely to be quite often, or so she had told by multiple family and pride members.

"Not a compulsive one, but I do enjoy making bets. Mainly racing..." Not very many people knew that Maxen liked to race cars, and bikes. When his older brother left and he became the acting alpha he had to put off most of his hobbies and plans. Not that he minded...much, the Pride was his family. He did however dislike the fact that Striker was just going to waltz back in and take over after being gone for so many years. Maxen had put in so much effort into the Pride and their defenses, and for what? Just to be swept aside like nothing as soon as his brother showed his face in town. He felt that Striker should have to proof himself as an alpha. He huffed, knowing that he needed to just let it go, "How about you?"

<3

"Oh racing, what kind, animals or motor?" She asked, she wasn't asking just for the sake of asking for some reason she was actually interested, looking up to him from her comfortable position on the ground, she had rolled onto her stomach by now, basking in the warming glow of the sun that pooled around them. She watched him curiously, he seemed to have his mind on other things, but it wasn't her place to be snooping.
"I'm more of a.. against the odds kind of girl," She admitted to him, she had always wanted to try her luck and she found multiple sports and ways of gambling to do these types of things.

(( c: ))