Drinkin' coffee black as iron

^^

Anticipation of the new youth to come made him restless. Wandering around more often than usual as he searched for whatever he could to help make this easier for @Ira somehow. What that was, he wasn't certain. He would be a first time father after all, and lord he didn't know what to anticipate. For a man who was half a year away from 5 years old - he had no idea what the hell he was doing.

Doubling his patrols and hunting as much as possible, he would make sure the caches were as fat as possible. If he could make them burst with food he would, but one man can only do so many successful hunts in a single day.

He wandered toward the pass, the winding paths that he couldn't dare to enter now of all times when he would be needed soon as the other half of a parenting duo. Not certain what he would find here, he kept on the outskirts of the rocks until a blond man caught his eye. Hiero, the ever so friendly man he was, waved his tail and approached with that classic smile of his. “Greetings stranger!”

After all he also had to find out who was skulking near by Vanderfell, so he may as well kill two birds with one stone and greet them as well as familiarize himself with someone near by... were they friend or foe?

^^
the staff team luvs u

Someone fucking smelled—like pack, like mountain, like wolves—and he didn’t want anything to fucking do with it as he walked. Stomping, posture low and slouched, and his steps quick.

Trying—the key word being trying—to go by unnoticed.




It didn’t work.



‘Greetings stranger!’

He grunted; his right ear plastered back against his head.

Standing, like a wet and sour cat.

His shoulders loose—slouched—and awkward. Like he didn’t know what to do with them. His tail hanging like dead weight behind him. No wind in his sail.

And after a second too long—

“Hi.”

He didn’t make eye contact.

the staff team luvs u

^^

The blond man with red eyes didn't seem to be the friendliest of fellows. Nor was he already aiming his teeth toward Hiero's throat so he would chalk that up as a win for now.

The man didn't seem aggressive, not quite at least, but more so awkward and unwilling to do more than just stand there and glare. 

Well, too bad for him, Hiero wasn't about to make a U-turn and leave him be. Not when he was so close to Vanderfell with that attitude hanging over him like some gloomy dark cloud. “Were you thinking of checking out the maze?” Luckily for Hiero, he was a champion when it came to small talk.

Just to see if he could get the fellow to chat a little, feel him out as they say and decide if he was too dangerous to be around or was just some grumpy lad who would be no trouble if left alone.

^^
the staff team luvs u

He had said hi.

Had returned his syrupy, overly friendly greeting.

And yet—

He didn’t fuck off.

The fuck?

What did he want from him? For him to say hi back as fake and obnoxiously as he had? He better not have been holding his fucking breath, because—

His ears perked.

“Maze?”

He bet he could fucking beat the old man’s ass at a maze.

the staff team luvs u

^^

Oh dear. The High King wasn't really expecting a certain reaction in general, but interest was not the one he had wished to see painted on his man's face at the mention of a 'maze'. “Uh — yeah. I mean, yeah!” He knew some of it already, after walking through with Ira once and their claw marks must still be on the walls marking their way around - but still, it didn't mean he wanted to escort the lad through by any means.
 
“It's a bit tricky to get through but I mean, we've been trying to map it-ish.” Ira had more interest in that than he did. If Hiero had any say on the matter he would say none of Vanderfell's wolves would be allowed near it, let alone think about its trials. But then again, he was caught on the idea of mapping it out should someone get lost and they needed a way to get them out safely. “I wouldn't recommend it.”

^^
the staff team luvs u

‘I wouldn't recommend it.’

“Why?” He sneered. His jaw jutted forward and up. Staring down at him, from the bridge of his nose. The corner of his lip peeled back. Teeth on display.

He took a single step forward—

And smiled.

Sharp, and mean.

“Scared?” He taunted. Head still held high.

the staff team luvs u

^^

Scared?

Boy, the last time Hiero was scared was long, long, long ago. To the fact that he couldn't even remember being afraid. Worried? Plenty, but afraid of some little maze or impressing some young man to stroke his ego?

He didn't move as the younger male stepped forward. Instead his eyes narrowed lightly as the smile remained on his face. Challenging the youngster in his own way. “Not quite.”

Hieronymous wouldn't be swayed so easily. “If you want to show me up, by all means go on ahead. I can't promise I'll fish you out when you get lost.” Shrugging, he was curious to see just how headstrong this lad was.

^^
the staff team luvs u

‘Not quite.’

He snorted.

Shook his head.

Because yeah, yeah fucking right he wasn’t scared. And he was a fucking fountain of sunshine and fucking daisies.

Fuck’s sake.

And he would have rolled his eyes, too, except—

‘If you want to show me up,’

“Yeah?” He interrupted. Blunt. Derisive. Red eyes narrowed, and taking another step forward

Challenging.

Just challenging.

“How do I know it isn’t a fucking set up?”

The north seemed to hold a lot of freaks.

He might have been fucking one of them, for all he fucking knew.

the staff team luvs u

^^

Fire and seafoam. Blazing heat vs the calm bubbly... compost of decomposing sea life. Hieronymous may be much calmer and friendlier than the man, but he was far from being afraid of this one. A pacifist for the most part, but he was no coward either. So as the man tossed the blazing challenge his way, he was unfazed.
 
“What kind of set up could I be doing? You're going in on your own volition aren't you?” Tossing his own little twisted grin, he offered his own challenge to guy. “Or are you the coward?” Was he falling back into old habits already? It felt devious to play this little game and yet the new High King just couldn't help himself.

^^
the staff team luvs u

‘Or are you the coward?’

“Fuck no.” He snarled, open mouthed and loud, his ears pressing flat against his head at the insult, the implication. The fuck did he think he was? A fucking idiot? Of course he wasn’t a fucking coward.

And he would show him.

He would fucking show him.

Shitty fucking bastard.

“Where’s the fucking entrance?” He snapped. Spat.

Stepping forward, as if to brush past.

His hackles raised and bristling, waiting—waiting—for him to hurry up and fucking do something.

the staff team luvs u

^^

Oh boy it had been ages since he had felt impish by any means. Hieronymous had always been the kind who loved a good joke, a prank, but even he would sometimes take it too far. Which hasn't been for a long, long time. This guy just seemed to draw out that old mischievous Hieronymous that had been long buried in the sands of time. 

So as the young man growled and snarled, huffed and puffed at the challenge - Hiero only gazed at him with half-lids and a grin tickling his lips. He even had the silly desire to step ever so slightly in the blond's way to let their bodies just bump into one another as if it was the other man's fault for stomping into him.
 
“Wheverver you want it to be. Just walk right in and see how far you get.”

^^
the staff team luvs u

“Fine.” He huffed.

Snarled.

Sneered.

Fucking smart-ass.

Bodychecking him, as he stomped past. Ears pressed back. Shoulders tense and taut. Picking an entrance at random—

And promptly getting fucking lost.

the staff team luvs u

^^

As he thought, the guy promptly accepted the challenge and not only did he bump into Hiero as he walked by - but shoulder-checked him hard enough that Hiero even had to chuckle with just how far he was pushed out of the way. Was the High King being friendly or downright devious?

He should feel bad and stop the lad, which he knew was the right thing to do. Then again... Wasn't the guy digging his own grave by insisting they take the challenge on together?

It could be argued that Hiero just wasn't as stupid as the other man and just let one get lost instead of two.

On the outskirts of the maze, he would wait. His back turned against the smooth blue-grey rock that reached to the skies just behind him. Preening and grooming his fur, checking for any wounds as per usual until the sun had fallen enough to indicate that perhaps he should check on the red-eyed lad who had gone in and yet to come back out. Clearing his throat quickly, he'd yell out to him as loud as Hiero's voice could carry. “How's it going in there?”

^^
the staff team luvs u

Round and round he went—

And still, he didn’t appear.

Not at the entrance.

Not at the summit.

Overheard, the sun had started to set.

Darkening sky.

Dropping autumnal temperatures.

And yet, he didn’t give up.

Grunting, as he pulled himself up yet another ledge. One out of a million. The man’s voice scarcely heard over his own out of breath breathing, but somehow still fucking loud and obnoxious enough to piss him off.

Bastard.

“Fine!” He yelled back.

He was good, at yelling.

The fucking best.

And without prompting—

“Don’t fucking come in here!”

He was fine.

He had it under control.

He had everything under fucking control, because he wasn’t a fucking coward, and he would fucking show him.

the staff team luvs u

^^

Of all the senses he was happy was still functioning to their full capacity was his hearing. Triangular soldiers cupping forward as he caught the distant yelling of the man who was pretty obviously lost in the maze. Well... can't say he wasn't warned.
 
“Fantastic!” Oh yeah, he was trolling. His voice was upbeat and pleasant, a stark contrast to the biting words of the blonde off somewhere in the rocks.
 
“I'll see you around then, good night!” He was told not to come in, after all, so he would obey the demand and turn to walk back to Vanderfell's borders. To return to check on Ira for the seventeenth time today and leave the young man to his own devices.

Maybe in the morning he would return and call back out to him and see if his mind had changed and needed assistance after all. For now, he would be unbothered and trot off back home.

^^
the staff team luvs u

The man yelled something—probably some more stupid, obnoxious, fake bullshit judging from his tone of voice—and Daighre grunted.

He didn’t fucking care.

He had more important shit going on.

Like getting out of the fucking maze—getting out by himself—and showing up the smug old bastard.

And he would fucking do it.

He would fucking show him.

the staff team luvs u