The candles blew then disappeared

@Caligula forward dated a few days after they visit The Maw

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They had returned from the craggy mountain with nothing to show for it other than an empty trail and no body to speak of. The woman he sought was certainly there once upon a time, judging by the lingering faint scent he found along its walls deep within the cave and by witnesses placing her there over a month ago - and though he would keep an eye and ear out for any news of her presence lingering, it was onto the next phase for the Nightwalkers.

They had to strengthen up. Their numbers were weak - laughable even, and that simply wouldn't do.

So he hatched a plan. One he would run by Caligula before announcing it to the members, if the General wasn't in on the idea then it would likely fail before any fruit would come of it. Following the scent left behind by the pale man, he would hopefully come across the General before he left the borders for whatever reason.

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Caligula had no intentions on leaving the territory -- not now, not in the foreseeable future. Why? Because he was feeling lazy, that's why. The ghost of the woods was quite busy taking a nap beneath a shady tree, snoring lightly as his paws twitched in rhythm to a dream. He was gonna get it. Whatever it was, he was gonna get it. His lips twitched and his muzzle wrinkled into a snarl every so often, but overall he was peaceful. Who wouldn't be curled into a ball, snuggled safely in the confines of his home?

And then the scent of @Vengeance slammed into him, manifesting into his dream. Dream!Caligula paused and stared down Dream!Vengeance, promptly snapping him out of it. Ugh, what? Caligula lifted his head, shaking the grogginess away as he stifled a yawn. Boo, he had almost caught whatever it he had been chasing.

His warlord was arriving and so the man pulled himself up into a seated position, waiting with bedhead. But all over his body.

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It was fairly easy to find the man in question. Lazily he awoke from his slumber in a less than charming state and yet with his cleaner coat and less disgusting coating along his body, Caligula was still more presentable over the Warlord himself. There was no rush in his step as he approached, calmly he sat down not too far from the General, letting his tail carelessly fall to the ground wherever it laid.
 
“Caligula. Our numbers are far lower than I would like after our time here.” He cut straight to the point as usual. “I have a proposition to run by you.” He paused, waiting to see if the groggy General would perk up at the idea of something being run by him. Granted the Warlord could do whatever he pleased regardless of what Caligula thought - but there was a certain level of camaraderie he wished to have with his chosen General. They got along relatively well and he would like to keep it that way... mostly for Vengeance's own good than anything else. Because of course there were selfish reasons behind it. 
 
“We need a new generation to make us seem more imposing, at least until we begin selectively breeding members for certain attributes. What are your thoughts of us extending an invitation to lone females seeking temporary refuge, protection, food, being catered to until the welps are weaned?” He let that sink in first before continuing.

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Well, he certainly cut straight to the chase, didn't he?

Caligula blinked lazily at him as he dove straight into his reasoning for being there, but it took a few seconds longer for his brain to actually begin functioning. Right. Right. Wake up, Cal.

He shifted into a stiffened position, as at attention as someone could be while sitting, and inclined his head as the warlord pressed on. So, he wanted to implement breeding strategies. He hardly thought a pack consisting mainly of children would make them seem intimidating, but he couldn't see any flaws.

"A sound strategy." Because really, what could go wrong besides a million things? "As long as you share some of them. It's been too long since I've had a good fuck." Caligula smirked, settling his tail around his haunches. Sharing was caring, Ven!

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There were ups and downs to his plan that was for certain. One was children were a hand full to raise, hungry little bastards who would eat them all out of house and home if they didn't focus on hunting. As far as Vengeance was concerned, if they all focused on raising the children as a group they could manage to create a little army, prepared and trained just the way they wanted them to. Little vessels to fit in the moulds the Nightwalkers desired of them.

It was why every member had to be on the same page in regards to it all. 

Caligula didn't have much to add to the idea other than anticipating the joys of woman companionship. It almost made the Warlord laugh. “You are free to find tail whenever the mood strikes you Caligula.” If it helped keep his head in the game then why prevent some stress relief in the more romantic field of things. “Provided you leave my favourite ones alone when they are in heat.” After all, he didn't want to have to fight his General for the right to breed with the stronger females of the pack - but he would if necessary.

Moving on from that subject. “Once the puppies are weaned, I am willing to let the women leave. Mind you that means they are no longer protected from Nightwalker attacks naturally.” For once they leave they were no longer of use to them now were they?

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The blessing to indulge himself in women rubbed against him like sandpaper, abrasive and irritating all at once. Then to declare he would be the one to breed with his favorites and Caligula nearly walked away, a flash of disdain evident across his face. It vanished as quickly as it came.

Hadn't Caligula beaten Vengeance in combat? Shouldn't the strongest breed with the strongest? He kept his lips pressed tightly together, finding himself displeased to be beneath Vengeance's paw for the first time.

He grew a bit more rigid, more stoic, and nodded. "Yes. Understood." And how he was planning on convincing these women to be bred in exchange for shelter was beyond him. They couldn't even convince members to join without renting out their womb, so the additional requirement meant very little in the grand scheme of things. He hoped, for Vengeance's sake, things picked up rather quickly.

Caligula didn't like being part of an unsuccessful pack.

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The air between the men grew stale regardless of what the Warlord had wanted to begin with. He assumed that it was perhaps with the threat to leave his favourite female(s) alone when they are ready to receive children. A slow frown carved into his features, ready for Caligula to challenge the order regardless if he was one of the few men who had breeding rights within the pack currently.

That alone should have been prize enough. 

Naturally both men would find favourites that might give them the children they wished to help raise. Vengeance sought the strongest ones as the weaklings would only waste his precious time. And he was willing to throw his weight around on this decision if Caligula disagreed. He may have beaten the leviathan once before, but this would be less of a friendly match than the last.

Without any disagreement voiced, the Warlord turned to leave. Having nothing else to share with the now sour General who unfortunately came off as greedy despite his position in the pack. “That is all.” He drawled as he began to wander away. “As of today, we are now open to female refugees provided they give us children.” And that was all.

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Last from me!!

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Caligula wondered what he might have to do in order to exist in Vengeance's world outside of being a pawn. He supposed it didn't matter too much in the grand scheme of things, however, because the ghost was nothing more than a sack of meat to fulfill the dreams of another man.

What a purpose filled life he lead.

Vengeance turned to leave. Once dismissed, Caligula rose to his paws and began to wander towards the borders. Maybe he would take that trip outside after all.

Exit

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